The Kogi State House of Assembly has called for the immediate removal of the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ola Olukoyede.
Earlier this year, the Assembly demanded that the EFCC retract the ‘wanted’ tag placed on former Governor Yahaya Bello. During Monday’s plenary session in Lokoja, the state capital, legislators accused Olukoyede of “unprofessional” conduct in the case against Bello.
They also condemned what they described as an attack by EFCC operatives on the Kogi State Government Lodge, framing it as an assault on Governor Usman Ododo and the people of Kogi State.
The lawmakers alleged that the EFCC was engaged in an assassination attempt on both the former and current governors, asserting that the prolonged persecution of Bello must come to an end.
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This followed a motion of urgent public importance moved by Hon. Akus Lawal, representing Ankpa 1 State Constituency, and seconded by Hon. Jacob Olawunmi of Mopamuro State Constituency.
Hon. Akus argued that the EFCC was seeking to humiliate and potentially harm the former and present governors, an assertion echoed by other lawmakers. Hon. Olawumi emphasized that the state’s Audited Financial Reports had consistently been published, and stated that no funds were missing to justify what he called the EFCC’s “witch-hunting” of Bello.
Hon. Abu Jibril of Ajaokuta State Constituency called for the prosecution of the EFCC chairman, accusing him of attempting to kill the governor, and urged the president to remove Olukoyede from office, claiming he was unfit to lead an impartial agency like the EFCC.
“The Chairman has shown incompetence that warrants his removal,” he said.
Hon Bode Ogunmola, Ogori/Magongo State Constituency (PDP), said, “If I am in London and there is a crisis, if I get to the Nigerian House, I will feel safe. If I am in Abuja and there is a crisis, I believe that if I get to the Kogi Lodge, I will be safe. For the EFCC Chairman to order that fire be opened on the official lodge of the Governor, he should be sacked and prosecuted. We should be told why he wants to kill our Governor.”
The Majority Leader of the Kogi State House of Assembly, Hon. Suleiman AbdulRazak, claimed that EFCC officials were pleading with former Governor Yahaya Bello to allow them stage a fake arrest.
He described the situation as humiliating, alleging that the anti-corruption agency was following a script crafted by political adversaries of the former governor.
AbdulRazak urged that the president be informed of what he termed an assassination attempt on both the current and former governors, emphasizing that the entire episode was orchestrated to embarrass Bello.
He went on to describe the incident at the Kogi State Governor’s Lodge as an attempted coup and called for the immediate removal of the EFCC Chairman to prevent further disgrace to the nation.
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The lawmakers concluded that the EFCC’s actions pointed to a hidden agenda, far removed from the fight against corruption, and called on all Nigerians to condemn the Commission’s approach.
Hon Yahaya Umar, representing Omala State Constituency said, “The unlawful conducts of the EFCC shows that the intention of the chairman is not to arrest former Governor Yahaya Bello, but to ridicule the state.
“The chronology of how the event happened shows that the problem of the chairman is not with the offences being alleged, but that they want to disgrace the defendant and Kogi State in general.”
On her part, the Deputy Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Rt Hon. Comfort Nwuchiola Egwaba, stated, “The EFCC is just trying to give the former Governor a bad name through their media trial. The EFCC is not sincere in this fight. It has an agenda it is pursuing and the entire people of the state, particularly the women and youths, will not accept this.”
In the same vein, the Kogi State House of Assembly also passed a resolution, commending President Bola Tinubu, for his economic policies which are aimed at building a strong and virile economy that will be the envy of all.
The Speaker of the Kogi State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Aliyu Yusuf, who read out the resolution of the House, stated, “The House formally categorizes the April 17 and September 18 incidents as assassination attempts on the former Governor, and by extension, a threat to the life of Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo.
“The unprovoked attack on the Governor’s Lodge and the firing of live rounds within a diplomatic residential zone further demonstrate that the EFCC has fully marinated in a sense of its own importance and power and now considers itself not only above the law but unanswerable to anyone or institution for its actions.”
“Because the EFCC Chairman has shown constantly, gross incompetence, the House has resolved that the President should relieve him of his appointment with immediate effect and replace him with a competent officer who will give Mr. President’s crusade for rule of law the needed effectiveness,” the lawmakers demanded in their resolution
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