The Conference of Forum of Speakers in the country has concluded arrangement to convene its special meeting this week in order to intervene to resolve the Kogi State House of Assembly.

This, the forum believes, would restore peace in the assembly so as to enable the state lawmakers deliver the dividends of democracy to the people of the state. The Speaker of the Kwara State House of Assembly, Hon. Ali Ahmad, dropped the hint in Ilorin, the state capital at the weekend while speaking with journalists on the state of the nation. According to him, "The conference of speakers' forum is an organisation of speakers and currently we are having a challenge in Kogi and this week, you are going to a see action by the forum."

He said: "I was part of the delegation that went to the same Kogi when they did the same thing when a minority purportedly removed the speaker." He added: "The National Assembly has the constitutional duty to take over any House of Assembly that cannot sit. Kogi Assembly is a charade and they cannot sit." Ahmad explained: "The unfortunate thing is that this is happening in the All Progressives Congress (APC) government.

We cannot sit there and say we are for due process and rule of law when it seems that the constitution is being butchered and nothing to remedy the situation is being done.

"It is not acceptable because the minority cannot have the power to outdo the majority, but the minority had the support of the Commissioner of Police, governor and the Inspector-General of Police and the President is there and you are saying you are a government of due process.

"Those five people who are obviously in the minority cannot close the door against the majority. This is not the rule of law. For me, it is unfortunate that our party, APC is involved in this. I call on Mr. President to intervene." Ahmad stressed: "This week, we will meet the House of Representatives, they have been proactive, they have set up a panel to go to Kogi State. It is good, they will come back with a recommendation that the House of Representatives should take over the functions of the assembly and they will pass their budget because those five members cannot form quorum to do those functions. That is my opinion. That man is not a Speaker.

"I am calling on Mr. President not to allow the issue in Kogi to continue. You cannot sit down as if you are unconcerned when you see the rule of law and the due process is being butchered. He should intervene because if the Commissioner of Police or some police operatives did not intervene, five people cannot overpower the majority.

"If you now standby and do nothing, you are then supporting impunity indirectly and it is happening in an APC controlled-state. If it were a PDP government, I will not even have raised an eye-brow but it is happening in APC controlled-state."