The Deputy Speaker of the Kogi State House of Assembly, Ahmed Mohammed, and three other principal officers were on Friday impeached by their colleagues.

The four were also suspended from the House.

Citing “undue gross misconduct”, 17 members of the assembly sat at an emergency session to remove Mr Mohammed, Bello Hassan Abdullahi; Majority Leader, Ndako Idris; Deputy Majority Leader and Edoko Ododo; Deputy Chief Whip.

The lawmakers carried out the impeachment and suspension following the adoption of a motion raised by Assemblyman Enema Paul (APC-Dekina II).

The motion, among other allegations, accused the four impeached officers of the 25-member house of gross misconduct and called for their immediate impeachment and replacement.

After the impeachment, Enema Paul, in his contribution, called for their replacements, arguing that the house could not afford a vacuum.

According to him, they should be replaced pending the outcome of investigations into their alleged misdemeanour.

He said: “We, the undersigned honourable members of the Kogi State House of Assembly do hereby resolve to impeach the following principal officers.”

The lawmakers have also replaced the impeached principal officers with Rabiu Alfa, as Deputy Speaker, Bajeh Mukhtar; Majority Leader; Umar Isa; Deputy Majority Leader and Enema Paul; Deputy Chief Whip.

Earlier ruling on the motion, the Speaker, Matthew Kolawole, put the question whether 17 members actually signed the impeachment and suspension document and they answered in affirmation of their position.

Mr Kolawole then directed the Clerk of the House to call out the new principal officers who were immediately approved.

The legislators also dissolved the standing committees and constituted new ones to upscale performance of their oversight functions in the remaining lifespan of the assembly in the state.

(NAN)