Tobias Sylvester
Deputy Governor of Kogi State, Simon Achuba has been impeached over alleged gross misconduct by members of the Kogi State House of Assembly on Friday in Lokoja, the state capital.
Mr. Achuba was impeached after a seven-man panel investigating allegations of gross misconduct leveled against the deputy governor, submitted its report to the state assembly.
Chairman of the panel, Barrister John Baiyeshea on Friday led six other members of the panel to submit the report to the Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Kolawole Matthew, at the State House of Assembly in Lokoja.
Majority Leader of the House, Abdullahi Bello, representing Ajaokuta state constituency, had at a plenary read a petition signed by 21 out of the 25 members of the assembly.
The House, according to Abdullahi, received, studied and deliberated on the report and a unanimous decision was arrived at to impeach Mr. Achuba.
Parts of the petition read:
“We the members of the Kogi State House of Assembly have in the past few weeks and days watched keenly the actions and utterances of the Deputy Governor of Kogi State, Elder Simon Achuba both in public and national television with regards to the government of Kogi State, the governor of Kogi State and other key officials of the state government especially the allegations of crimes, financial misappropriation and non-performance levelled against them.
However, Mr. Achuba, shortly after his impeachment, insists that he remains the deputy governor of Kogi state.
Speaking in a telephone interview with Channels Television on Friday, he said:
“What they have done is nothing. I am the deputy governor of Kogi State and I remain the deputy governor of Kogi State,” Achuba said while condemning the action of the lawmakers.
“Impeachment has processes and the last process of impeachment is the verdict of the panel.
“If the panel says the case of the complainant is proved, it means that the accused which is the respondent in the case can be removed. But if their case is not proved, they can’t do anything concerning my office and that is the situation.”
According to Mr. Achuba, the report before the Assembly stated that the case brought against him was not proved.
He explained that he did what was expected of him and presented himself before members of the seven-man panel set up by the Chief Judge in the state.
“So, what you have seen is the continuation of the illegality that I have complained about loudly.
“I will get a copy of the report in no time to prove to you that what they have done is complete illegality,” Achuba said.
KanyiDaily recalls that Simon Achuba had cried out over alleged maltreatment by Governor Yahaya Bello-led administration.
The Deputy Governor narrated how he was about to travel home when his security details were ordered to report to Government House for a briefing by the ADC to Governor Bello. On getting to Government House, the ADC to the governor took them to the SARS office to make a statement.
