Emmanuel Adeyemi, Lokoja

John Baiyeshea, chairman of the panel set up to investigate allegations of gross misconduct against Simon Achuba, has said that his committee could not prove the allegations levelled against Achuba and therefore did not indict him

He said in accordance with the law, the lawmakers could not have commenced impeachment proceedings since the panel could not prove the allegations against Achuba.

In his words “this is the most bizarre thing that I have ever heard in my life; we submitted the report to the speaker around 1pm and I left Lokoja for Abuja. I was at Gwagwalada area when one of the panel’s members who had not left Lokoja called to tell me that he watched it on television that the deputy governor had been impeached.

“As far as the report that we submitted to the House of Assembly is concerned, the committee returned the decision that all the allegations were not proved. What the constitution says in Section 188(8) is that, ‘once the panel returns a verdict like that. No further proceedings can be taken on it.

“That is it. It is only when the panel returns a verdict that allegations have been proved (to be true) that they can go ahead within 40 days. When did the House sit? We delivered the documents and the House was not even in session at that time.”

At the same time, the deputy governor of Kogi State, Simon Achuba, has said that his purported impeachment last Friday by the state House of Assembly was unconstitutional and illegal, adding that he will challenge the action in court.

Achuba while addressing newsmen on Sunday shortly after moving out of the official residence of the deputy governor, said the level of lawlessness and impunity being exhibited by Governor Yahaya Bello and his surrogate in the state Assembly must be condemned by all well-meaning Nigerians.

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He said swearing in anyone else as they were planning would amount to a continuation of illegality being perpetrated by Governor Bello, warning that the move would be challenged in court.

He called on President Muhammad Buhari to beam his searchlight on the level of lawlessness and oppression going on in the state, warning that failure to do that could lead to the emergence of another Boko Haram insurgency in the state.

He said that he was treated like a common criminal when police were drafted to prevent entry and exit from his official residence while electricity to his house was disconnected and his power generating set disabled

Meanwhile the leader of the state House of Assembly, Hassan Bello Abdulahi, in a statement on behalf of members accused the judicial panel of inquiry of compromise in the assignment given to them.

Bello said; “Based on the “Rule of Procedure” given to members of the panel, their assignment was a fact-finding one and was not required to give any resolution.

“The panel submitted a report to us and based on their report, we gave our verdict. The rule of procedure says that the panel is a fact-finding panel; they are not to give judgment and it was in the rule of procedure which they accepted. They are not supposed to give any verdict in this circumstance.

“The decision of whether the deputy governor is guilty or not guilty is that of the House. If you look at Section 188(11), it says the House of Assembly is the only authority that determines what gross misconduct is. It is not for the panel to say proved or not proved; therefore the impeachment stands.”