The Benue State House of Assembly on Thursday suspended the leader of a splinter group in the House, Kesker Kyenge, of the Peoples Democratic Party, representing Logo State Constituency, over issues bordering on misconduct.
The House’s decision was sequel to a motion by its Majority Leader, Benjamin Adanyi. It was seconded by Hon. Adams Okloho, of Adoka /Ugboju State Constituency. It accused the lawmaker of bringing the name of the House to odium through a press interview he granted The Channels Television, where he was quoted to have accused some House leaders of corruption, among other allegations.
The House also accused Kyenge of attempting to disrupt House proceedings on Tuesday this week, when he was alleged to have defiled the order of the Speaker, by speaking when he was asked to seat down (by the Speaker).
Kyenge, a leading opposition voice in the House, had sought to move a motion under an urgent matter of public interest but was ruled out of order, in what the Speaker said was a breach of the House proceedings.
After a vote count, the House subsequently suspended the former ALGON chairman in Benue State for a period of five months.
His suspension is coming on the heels of yet another accusation against him by the Speaker of the Assembly and the Majority Leader, who at a press conference fingered him as leading a crusade to tarnish the image of the House.
Reacting, kyenge described the said suspension as a legislative rascality, insisting that he was not given the opportunity to defend himself.
“The suspension did not follow due process, and so to me, it remains a speculation because nobody has served me in that regard. The normal thing to do is that you ask the person so involved to appear before the House committee saddled with that responsibility. This will allow the accused to say his own side of the story. That is the normal process. And so, to me, it is a legislative rascality,” Kyenge stated.