Northern Caucus Backs Bankole

Written by This Day Saturday, 19 June 2010

Amidst the increasing threats by some aggrieved  lawmakers to launch impeachment proceedings against the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Honourable Dimeji Bankole, the Northern Caucus in the House  appears to have launched a counter attack  to frustrate the  plot.

The Caucus is allegedly plotting to infiltrate the ranks of the anti-Bankole forces to destabilise the group and prevail on the leadership to impose sanctions on the arrowheads of the impeachment plot when the House resumes from the current break.
There are strong indications that the Caucus made up of lawmakers from the 19 states of the North have started mobilising its members  to frustrate the moves of the progressive minded Legislators who slammed a one week ultimatum on Bankole  to resign voluntarily or be forced out.

The Northern  Caucus, THISDAY gathered, were working on the theory that the progressive-minded legislators,  having  placed the issue in the court of public opinion may want to launch the final onslaught on Bankole when the House resumes from its two-week recess next Tuesday.

Prominent members of the Northern caucus,  including the  Minority Leader of the House, Honourable Mohammed Ndume  and Deputy Minority Leader of the House, Honourable  Abdulrahman Sulaiman Kawu,  were reportedly at the centre of the pro-Bankole  mobilisation.

They are working on the theory that the documents presented to the media by the anti-Bankole forces were either forged or not enough to substantiate the allegations of corruption levelled against Bankole.

Ndume   who addressed newsmen on the action plan of the Northern Caucus disclosed that all that would be required of the anti-Bankole forces was for them to prove all the allegations they had levelled against the Speaker, failing which he said he would not hesitate to canvass sanction against those he said have been casting aspersions on the leadership of the House.

“It is about time we addressed this issue once and for all. We have to stamp our feet on the ground if we are to halt this kind of arrant display of rudeness by some of our colleagues. They have been having a ride on all of us, and we would not tolerate this anymore. We no longer have the time, yet we are bugged down by more pressing national assignments which demand the attention of every member