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President Buhari, Olawepo Hashim emerges online most engaging political leaders in Nigeria

....Atiku, Tinubu, Fayemi, Yahaya Bello, Saraki, others remain in the background

In the race of who succeeds president Muhammadu Buhari as Nigeria's next president and ahead of the 2023 gelectoral season in the country, politicians across all political divides and regions are engaging the populace on social media to sell their candidature, a new media, baseline research and communication outfit, Grand Plan has said, in its new monthly social media engagement report.

The research and new media communication outfit, which spoke through its Executive Director, Abdulrazaq Hamzat said that, the monthly social media engagement ratings will help keep tab on activities of political leaders in the country.

Following ban on popular micro blogging platform, Twitter few months ago, Nigerian politicians have become more active on Facebook and most of them have made the platform their preferred medium of communication with the people.

Facebook is the most popular social media platform in the world, with over 2.8 billion users. It is also by far, the most popular social media platform in Nigeria with over 65% control.

"While there are over 104 million internet users in Nigeria, only 33million of them are on social media with Facebook, having over 30% of the total internet users and more than 95% of social media users, with its over 31 million Facebook users in Nigeria, some of whom also uses other social media platforms such as Instagram, Snapechat, tiktop etc.

As 2023 general election in Nigeria approaches and the search for President Muhammed Buhari's succesor tickens, a former Presidential
Candidate, Mr. Gbenga Olawepo Hashim has emerged most vocal and engaging political leader on cyberspace, discussing critical issues of statehood, economic development and national unity and proferring solutions on how to advance the country and keep it safe.

In the recent report released by Grand Plan, Olawepo Hashim is only behind incumbent president, Muhammadu Buhari who is finishing his second term in office in 2023.

The monthly social media rating of political engagements
on Facebook platform, on Thursday showed that President Muhammadu Buhari and Mr. Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim are
leading as the most engaging political leaders in the country.

The latest data by Grand Plan showed that, Mr. Hashim was behind President Buhari and ahead of all other political figures, including Former vice president, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, Former Senate President, Bukola Saraki, Chairman of Nigeria's Governor's Forum, Kayode Fayemi and Governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello and others.

According to statistics by Grand Plan, President Muhammed Buhari maintain top with over 296,000+ engagement, followed by Olawepo Hashim with 98,000+ engagement.

Data released on Tuesday, July 27th, 2021 in Abuja by Grand Plan, shows that other political figures and presidential hopefuls such as Alhaji Atiku Abubakar recorded 53,000+ engagement, Dr. Bukola Saraki recorded 48,000+engagement.

Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi State, who has also indicated interest in the presidency recorded 37,000+ engagement and Ekiti State Governor and Chairman of Nigeria Governors Forum, Kayode Fayemi had only 6000+ engagement on the tech giant platform, Facebook.

Grand Plan maintained that, the data on each of the candidates’ were realistic because “Facebook represents the broad spectrum of voters who will vote in 2023.”

According to Hamzat, “increasing engagements imply voters’ growing
interest in the candidates while a decreasing result reflects voters’
disenchantment.

Additionally, contrary to popular belief which claimed that suspended microblogging platform, Twitter is the platform for youths in the country, available records show that, Facebook still remains the dominant social media platform for young adults. Hamzat said.

According to him, "65 percent of Facebook users are under the age of 35, which means that they fall under the age demographic of Millennials and Generation Z.

"It is also important to note that, between 25 to 34 year olds accounted for 32.5 percent of Facebook users, whereas just 2.9 percent of users were aged between 55 and 64 years old".

Grand Plan noted that, Olawepo-Hashim’s growing engagement is a measure of voters’ interest in him ahead of 2023, as he discuses policy issues that many considers important.

“At a time when the country is in need of real leaders, Olawepo Hashim has stepped forward early enough, with clarity of thought and serious governance proposals, putting his ideas forward to the Nigerian people for scrutiny". Hamzat said.

The monthly social media rating of political figures by Grand Plan will be released last week of every month.

https://independent.ng/buhari-olawepo-hashim-emerges-online-most-engaging-political-leaders-in-nigeria/

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*Celebrating or Defending Abba Kyari's indictment*

I find it strange that anybody would be defending Police officer, Abba Kyari, who was indicted by fraud suspect, Hushpuppy in his confession statement to Federal Bureau of Investigation in America.

I also find it strange that anybody would be overjoyed in excitement, celebrating his alleged indictment.

Why should you defend someone alleged to have committed a crime against the state?

You are not in position to do so, because you are not involved in the matter, neither do you have the facts.

Anyone indicted in a crime, especially an exposed person can defend his or herself.

All you have to do is to follow the process and learn. You should not defend an indicted person, unless you are in the know of the matter and have all the facts.

But again, why should anyone be overjoyed in excitement, celebrating the indictment of a known result oriented crime fighter?

I don't understand.

I have seen many public figures celebrate Kyari's indictment, as if they have won a world cup.

I am not even talking about bloggers seeking traffic from sensational reporting, but politicians, celebrities and others.

Why are you happy that a police officer is indicted in a crime?

It appeared we live in a strange world.

Abdulrazaq Hamzat

United States police corruption

Police corruption in the United States is not often reported on in the media, however cases of police brutality and corruption have been reported on, such as US police having faced killing charges.

Although not explicitly related to police corruption, a study identified 6,724 cases involving the arrests of 5,545 sworn officers across the nation between 2005 and 2011 for a variety of criminal acts.

That is, on average, police officers are getting arrested around 1,000 times per year.

41% of the total crimes were committed while the officers were on duty.

A breakdown listed five main types of crimes:

1. Sex-related police crime

(1,475 arrest cases of 1,070 sworn officers)

2. Alcohol-related police crime (1,405 arrest cases of 1,283 sworn officers)

3. Drug-related police crime (739 arrest cases of 665 sworn officers)

4. Violence-related police crime (3,328 arrest cases of 2,586 sworn officers)

5. Profit-motivated police crime (1,592 cases of 1,396 officers)

Source: Wikipedia

*Insightful presentation made by Gbenga Olawepo Hashim 17 years ago*

*AGENDA FOR POLITICAL REFORM BY GBENGA OLAWEPO*
setandsell@yahoo.com
Former National Deputy Publicity Secretary, PDP



PRESENTED AT A SPECIAL SEMINAR ON POLITICAL REFORM: AGENDA FOR NIGERIA BY THE OFFICE OF THE POLITICAL ADVISER TO THE PRESIDENT ON THE 17TH OF MARCH 2004.

Two weeks ago, the chairman of Kogi State Independent Electoral Commission, was cut down in a hail of bullets in an obviously politically motivated assassination, defiling the innocence of the once serene capital city of the then Kabba province.

It was the second time within a week that the country will be waking up to the tragic news of high profile murder following a frightening ambush of the convoy of the Governor of Benue State. These developments combined to raise the specter of violence associated with politics to a new pedestal in the annals of our political history and pushed violence in politics to the center of public commentary.

Both events were also a sad reminder of the increasing volatility of the Nigerian political terrain, which kicked off, with the murder of the late Attorney General of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Chief Bola Ige, and series of other associated political murder such as that of late Chairman of Kwara State PDP – Alhaji Ahman Pategi, the late Vice Chairman of the PDP Harry Marshal, and the late Senatorial Candidate of the ANPP in Imo State popularly known as OGB and a host of others.

Apart from these high profile political murders, the intensity with which acquisition of political power in Nigeria is being pursued interms of guns and cash, intimidation and manipulation, threats and blackmails have all raised the question as to whether the Nigerian political system is not costing Nigerians too much compared to what it is offering and hence the necessity for reform.

The last election was simply war. It was waged with all the logistics of war and sometimes with the crudity and the barbarity of ancient traditional power mongers.

For those of us who were in the tick of the primaries of the party as actors we were witnesses to an admixture of the inane, the absurd and the un imaginable. In the party primaries candidates emerged under arrangement other than party constitution and guidelines, some emerged as governorship candidate after they have taken oath surrounded by dead bodies in evil ancestral shrines. In the general election stolen money either from public coffer or stolen from the vaults of Banks by those who were licensed as bankers were deployed together with guns and bullets to ‘take over power’. You either had command of the army or police to displace an incumbent or you were an incumbent ready to turn your state into a killing field with your own private army to survive the hurricane.

Those who had no private armies were forced to either align with those who had or were simply politically irrelevant. They were losers vilified by a new tribe of power psychopaths who had emerged as columnist in a section of Nigeria press devoting most of space to tutoring politician in the writings of Nicolo Machieveli and Robert Green. They were the promoters of Mafioso politics today’s acolytes of Nigeria’s Pablo Escobar’s.

Not a few civil-society organizations, patriots, international observers and writers of good will immediately after April 2003 election quickly called for immediate political reform if Nigeria will not suffer a democratic seizure, President Olusegun Obasanjo himself lamented the glaring short-coming of what the Nigeria political system is throwing up at an INEC organized seminar on ‘Agenda for Electoral Reform’ on the 27th of November 2003. Hear him:

“With so much resources been deployed to capture elective offices, it is not difficult to see the correlation between politics and the potential for high level corruption. The greatest loser are the ordinary people, those voters whose faith and investment in the system are hijacked because money not their will is made the determining factor in the election”

The President in this brilliant expose of the effect of the monitisation of politics on the social economic development of the country concluded that there must be reform. Here him again:
“The will of the people can not find expression and flourish in the face of so much money directed solely at achieving victory. Elective offices become mere commodities to be purchase by the highest bidder and those who literally invest money see it an avenue to recoup and make profit politics becomes business and the business of politics become merely to divert public funds from the crying needs of our people for real development in their lives”

What Manner of Reform?

From the above it is evident that the need for reform is appreciated at the highest level of government and civil society. That the office of the political adviser to the President is today organizing this Seminar is an eloquent testimony of a deep appreciation of the necessity for reform. But what manner of reform? By whom for whom and when is the reform? I think this is the reason why we are here.

I am fortunate that my assignment is to speak for 30 minutes as an actor in the political arena, so that I will not attempt the difficult but tempting conceptual and scholarly definitions, I have also been told that I have thirty minutes to make my presentation and I will try to make it twenty minute and donate ten minutes to Professors and holder of PhD’s so they can have enough time.

My other justification for this obviously escapist method is also because the question of political reform is very broad. In its enlarged form it might mean a look at the constitutional system, the party system, the electoral system, the way and manner in which power is distributed among the tier of government, the way and manner in which power is distributed among the arms of government etc.

To save time and maintain focus I will limit the discourse to the following questions:
• How to ensure that the contest for political power center around engendering rapid social economic transformation in order to achieve development and social justice.
• How to ensure basic transformation in attitude of both the electorate and the elected officers in order to achieve good governance.
• How to ensure that the electoral system regain legitimacy as a mechanism to effect change in political leadership.

To address the above questions we shall propose that the reform agenda must look in the following direction (i) Legislative (ii) Attitudinal (iii) Institutional and (iv) Administrative.

Legislative

Legislative initiative in the area of political reform must aim at achieving the following:
• Providing constitutional guarantees for the independence of the electoral agency in terms of appointment of personnel and funding of the operation of the electoral agencies. It is suggested that the funding of the electoral agencies should come directly from consolidated revenue fund as a first line charge.
• Making electoral offices answerable for electoral crime by ensuring that electoral offences such as aiding and abetting, falsification of result and other act of rigging are punishable under the electoral act.
• Act of violence aided by any politician should be punishable under the electoral act, which may include banning such an offender from engaging in political contest for a period of time.
• There should be an Act regulating campaign finance one of its provision should include disclosure of money received for campaign and also establish a commission to monitor the financing of political parties and candidates and to impose a ceiling from time to time as to how much can be spent on political campaign and elections and for what items. Such an act will also prescribe appropriate punishment for violation.

Attitudinal Reform

Never in the history of Nigeria politics as political behavioural pattern been so distorted as it is currently. Practices by political leaders and followers appear to reinforce the worst in us while a dominant section of the media keep promoting these attitudes in their editorial content.

In the last election the kind of fees charged as nomination fees by the dominant parties seem to suggest that party candidature is for the millionaires, this was in contrast to the practice where integrity and record of performance were dominant yardstick. The PDP charged as high as 3million for the governorship candidate as against 100,000.00 naira charged by the founders in 1998 and I know so many people who are governor today who could not on their own pay the fees in 1998.

The absurd thing is that some political editors help in no small measure to promote this in their endorsement of the ‘serious’ and ‘unserious’ candidate. I have chuckled at some of the analysis which rated serious candidate as those able to raise as much as 500 million (35million dollar) for governor ship election an amount very ridiculous for an election even in the richest country in the world the United State not to talk of Nigeria where per capital income is shamelessly low. It absurd that the media in its agenda-setting role does not help to discourage the use of too much money, in fact in some instances the media promoted it by zoning out candidate with integrity as unserious on account of their small ‘personal financial war chest’ ab-initio even before the contest began.

Other associated political practices, which has to be reformed, includes the practice of paying people to attend meetings, rallies and other form of gratification to perform party assignments.

In the days of yore when politics was based on issue and follower-ship secured on account of charisma of the political leaders and record of achievement, party’s were sustained largely by membership due and contribution of rank and file members, today members attend meeting and expect to be paid by sponsors and financiers which in any way does not impose any obligation of performance on political office holder since they see themselves as having settled party members before they got to office.

The attitude change is one fundamental reform which must start now and must be led by not just government but the political parties, civil society organizations, labour, the clergy and mass media through a conscious agenda setting role. Political parties must seek membership dues, which will inturn, make them more accountable rather than relying on sponsorship and the very convenient fund raising and charges and levying of candidate which in most cases are never accounted for.

The process of increasing membership role in party financing will generally play a crucial role in opening a party for inter democracy as an integral part of democratizing the polity itself.

Institutional Reforms

INEC

Reform of the Independent Electoral Commission before 2007 election most focus on ways of bringing the Nigeria electoral system in conformity with internationally acceptable standard of Best practice.
Having settle for the First Past The Post (FPTP) electoral system, Institutional Reform must be immediately embarked upon to ensure that subsequent elections in Nigeria are not only fair but perceived to be substantially fair by all stake holders, the key issues in these must include the following:
• Guaranteeing non-partisanship in the personnel, and staffing of the electoral commission.
• Ensuring that polling booths are fairly delineated and their creation done well in advance of election and their locations properly advertised.
• Up date of voter registration display objection and display of cross checked version by party agent must be done at least sixty days to election and in compliance with the electoral act.
• De-centralization of ballot production system to discourage a situation in which parties not contesting election in certain state will be or the ballot paper in other to minimize wastage.
• Appointment of ad-hoc staff such as presiding officers, returning officers and clerks should be done well in advance of election names of successful candidates displayed at least two weeks to election to enable those who have objections as to their integrity raise such objection before a panel to guarantee fairness.

Police Armed Force and Security Agencies

Year 2003 election saw the drafting of members of armed forces for election duties even under the pretext of the need to arrest violence in politics. Eventually these men were largely accused by various party’s as the arrow-head of intimidation tactics. In future elections the armed forces must be specifically excluded by the provision by the electoral act from election duties.

The role of the police must be seriously enhanced but under a new frame work where the non partisan position of the police is guaranteed through a recomposition of the police service commission, accompanied with legislative initiative to make the police more non partisan and also by instituting a legislative regime that makes the individual police man answerable for his or her action on election duty.

Political Party Reform

An act should be enacted to bring political party nomination processes in conformity with standard democratic practice to avoid a situation where inter party practices stifle internal democracy.

Campaign and Election Finance

There must be an act to regulate party financing, campaign and election expenditure with a view to checking the monetisation of politics. Such an act should establish a commission, and also set up provisions to determine the following issues:
• Maximum expenditure allowed a candidate and political party
• Maximum contribution/donation allowed from an individual to a candidate and to a political party.
• Put in place measures to check vote buying both at party conventions and general election.
• Compelling disclosure of money received for campaign purpose, their source and amount.

Judicial Reform

We must state from the onset that of all the institutions of state in Nigeria, the Judiciary has demonstrated more determination and will to ensure internal reform of the Justice Delivery System in respect of the integrity of the system.

In the judiciary we see a periodic review of cases of abuse of the system by the Nigerian Judicial Service Commission, which further strengthens confidence in the Judicial System as a genuine platform for resolution of election petition matters especially at the appellate level. If politicians and administrators can demonstrate half the commitment of the leadership of the Judiciary to reform we could immediately begin to exude confidence that Nigeria democracy has arrived.

Nevertheless the process of adjudication of disputes continues to exhibit an intolerable slowness, which in some occasions heighten political uncertainty, tension and instability in government business.

There is a need for immediate reform to accelerate the process of Justice delivery. Necessary legislative and executive back-up to ensure rapid reform of this sector must be provided immediately by all concerned.

Conclusion

So far we have tried to examine the immediate question concerning political reform that can be handled between now and 2007. The other deeper and extensive question concerning the form of government, Presidential/parliamentary, the nature of our federalism, constitutional reform etc etc can be deferred to the future after we have overcome the basic question of instituting a credible and acceptable system of electing those who will represent us in various arm of government on the basis of the current arrangement.

I thank you for your attention.

amuwo1980:
God bless u , no mind the thief , after he finished helping himself to the loot , he is now mouthing contentment .

Abeg, watin e thief?

*TIME TO REVIVE THE SPIRIT OF CONTENTMENT- OLAWEPO HASHIM*

One of the values that sustained pre-colonial Africa was contentment. It was the value that made people satisfied with the little they had, and many sought for the collective good.

Some of us were witnesses to a clime when people left their wares by the roadside and were not present physically to supervise commercial transactions. They indicated the price of the commodity by number of stones. People (Nigerians) were kind and honest enough to put the exact amount of money down and leave with exact quantity of commodities. Nobody left with the product without dropping the exact amount of the commodities (paying); and passers-by would see the money and commodities left without taking them.

I am in my fifties and not sixties or seventies. That was the Nigeria I saw while growing up.

It is OK to criticize bad leadership and speak against oppression, but at the root of some of the crimes and instability in our country is exponential greed and avarice in the face of “weak institutions, and Law enforcement”.
People who organize kidnapping are not poor. They are usually above average. A single AK-47 costs about a million Naira in the black market and the set up for internet fraud, organized by the “Yahoo boys and girls” are not devices the desperately poor can own.

Most desperately poor women still put their children in school through trade from their turnover of total capital less than 30,000 Naira. They are still contented and able to make daily savings through contribution (Ajo & Esusu) of N2,000 – N3,000 Naira every day.

Our two main religions, Christianity and Islam speak of contentment as an important moral force. The Holy Bible says in 1st Timothy 6:6: Godliness and contentment is great gain”. The Quran likewise speaks of contentment. In the Holy Quran 13:28: “it is in the remembrance of Allah the heart can find contentment.”

In one of the Hadiths, it is noted, “if the son of Adam, (the human being) were given a valley full of riches, he would love to have another, for nothing satisfies the belly of Adam’s son except dust (of the grave) and Allah forgives he who repents”. (Sahih Bukhari Vol. 8 book 76).

Unfortunately, the values above have fast disappeared from our religious houses and homes. Our African traditional values of ‘be your brother’s keeper’ have been significantly weakened. We need now to save those values even as we build strong institutions.

It’s time for ethical revolution. Be part of the moral force.

*Discard your negative view about Nigeria because darkness cannot overcome light, Olawepo Hashim declares*

DARKNESS CANNOT OVERCOME LIGHT

"A dark cloud is no sign that the sun has lost his light, and dark black convictions are no arguments that God has laid aside His mercy" - Charles Spurgeon

In six months we have been speaking positively about the better future we see for our great nation Nigeria despite her myriads of present challenges.

A number of people have held strongly to the negative view that the evil they see will continue, they are so audacious that they want to drag every one along their path of hopelessness and hate, that they insult at will those who proclaim light, love, and hope.

But those who understand the awesome power of light, the healing power of love and conquering power of good know that darkness can never overcome light. "And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it." (John 1:5 NKJV)

The one who will eat the good of the land must see with the eyes of faith. "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." (Hebrews 11:1 NKJV)

We must be bold about our stand and believe and speak goodness upon our lives and blessings over our nation. Confess and proclaim it. "Death and life are in the power of the tongue, And those who love it will eat its fruit." ( Proverb 18:21 NKJV)

Happy Sunday Friends.

#NewGloryForNigeria
Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim

Yesterday on AIT Democracy Today, Mr Gbenga Olawepo spoke on the President Nigeria Needs - a True Nigerian President; not Igbo, Hausa or Yoruba president.

A President that will see All of Nigeria as his or her constituency.

A President that will do justice to all regardless of ethnic or religious persuasion.

A President that will create the environment for Jobs for our young people, who currently have 54% of them (between ages 15 and 25) Unemployed!

This interesting conversation, captures my thoughts about the country's current situation.

It is a refreshing perspective that answers every question with depth and clarity.

No attack on anyone or group, no abuse against any tribe or religion, infact there's no bitterness or throwing blames at so called enemy, just a perfect and well articulated stance on the current situation and a way forward for Nigeria.

Kindly watch the clip
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sZVA9HJrKYo

*Stop shedding crocodile tears for democracy, Kwara Must Change tells Saraki*

_Says he lack moral right to criticize KWHA over member's suspension_

A leading Pro-Democracy group in Kwara State, Kwara Must Change has advised former Senate President, Dr Bukola Saraki to enjoy his political retirement and stop preaching what he does not practice while leading the Senate of Nigeria.

The group, which was reacting to Saraki's criticism of the Kwara State House of Assembly over suspension of one of its members, Hon Jimoh Agboola stated that, the former Senate president lacks moral right to criticize Kwara State House of Assembly, because under his leadership as senate president, he did not only suspended two senators, but also refused to honour court a judgement on the matter, until he was compelled to do so by the court.

In a statement by the Convener of Kwara Must Change, Mr Abdulrazaq Hamzat, the group stated that, those who do not brush their teeth cannot be advertising tooth paste and those who did not have clean hands cannot come to equity.

According to Hamzat, Bukola Saraki led senate suspended Senator Ali Ndume for the most petty allegation in 2017 and just a year later, the red chamber also suspended Senator Ovie Omo Agege, now the Deputy Senate President.

"Sen Ali Ndume was suspended by the Saraki led senate for 6 months, and the suspension was later increased to 8 months, after which the Senator was later recalled to the house"

"Sen Ovie Omo Agege on the other hand was suspended for 90 days and both Omo Agege and Ali Ndume won their respective court cases against the Senate" Hamzat said.

The Kwara Must Change Convener expressed shock that the same Saraki, who refused to honour court judgement on Sen Omo Agege's matter until he was compelled to do so by the court is today speaking about democracy as if he really cared about democracy.

Hamzat advised Dr Saraki to stop shedding crocodile tears for democracy because he's one of those who laid very bad precedence for the Legislative arm of government in Nigeria.

Kwara Must Change therefore concluded that, the Kwara state Assembly should jettison Saraki's precedence and chart a better course.

Recall that Kwara Must Change had encouraged Kwara State House of Assembly to expunge suspension and other unconstitutional rules from their bylaws.

The group also noted that there's no law in Nigeria that empowered any lawmaking body to suspend members indefinately, arguing that such amount to denying the constituents of representation.

*Expunge suspension from house rules- Kwara Must Change advise state assembly*

_Says KWHA should not return to the dark days of Atunwa_

A leading Pro Democracy group in Kwara State, Kwara Must Change has advised the Kwara State House of Assembly to become a leading example to other Assemblies across the country by expunging rules that are not in conformity with the constitution from their bylaws.

The group, which was responding to the indefinite suspension of a member of Kwara State House of Assembly, Hon Jimoh Agboola also said that several court judgements had maintained that suspending a lawmaker is like denying his constituents of representation.

In a statement by the Convener of Kwara Must Change, Mr Abdulrazaq Hamzat, the group stated that, while it is true that the house acted based on existing rules of the house to carry out the action, several court judgements had been entered against several State Assemblies and National Assembly over suspension of members and it has been established beyond every reasonable doubt that there's no law in Nigeria that empowers the law making body to suspend any member indefinately.

The most any assembly could do, is to suspend member for 14 days, Hamzat said.

According to him, the 6th Assembly in Kwara State, under the leadership of Hon Razaq Atunwa was notorious for lawlessness and violation of constitutional rights of members and during that era, a member of the house, Hon Ilyasu Ibrahim was suspended indefinately for blowing whistle on corruption, a suspension that was not only challenged in court, but was overturned by the court of law.

"Hon Ilyasu Ibrahim challenged his unlawful suspension and the court gave him victory, though the judgement was not implemented by the Atunwa led Assembly"

"The 7th Assembly, under the leadership of Hon Ali Ahmad also upheld the illegality of the 6th assembly by refusing to honour the court of appeal judgement on the matter, though it didn't repeat the same mistake during its tenure".

Hamzat maintained that, the current assembly, under the leadership of Hon Danladi Umar should not return the house to the dark days of Atunwa in the pre-otoge era, we should be moving forward and setting better examples.

"While it is true that certain rules of the house may empower the house to descipline its members, several court judgements across the nation, both at state and federal level have declared indefinate suspension of members as illegal and the case of Sen Ali Ndume and Sen Omo Agege against the Bukola Saraki led senate are just a few examples".

It would therefore amount to willful insistence on bad precedence, to continue to suspend members as a means of punishment, despite clearly contradicting the position of law.

Kwara Must Change Convener explained that, the fact that the house suspended the member indefinately before it ever investigated his alleged offence doesn't speak well of the house.

"Allegation may lead to suspension before Investigation, if the person being alleged is in position to interfere with the process of Investigation, but that is not the case here"

Hamzat therefore urges the house to amend its rules to conform with the constitution of the country, as interpreted by several court of law in the country.

Recall that a member of the Kwara State House of Assembly, Hon Jimoh Agboola representing Ilorin South State constituency was indefinately suspended from the house over alleged contempt against the house.

That thee matter has been refered to the house Committee on previlege, rules and judiciary is enough for the legislature to uphold the rule of law.



END