The Speaker of the House of Representatives, RT. Hon. Yakubu Dogara, on Tuesday administered oath of office to Hon. (Mrs.) Dorothy Mato, to replace RT. Hon. Herman Hembe of the Konshisha/Vandeikya federal constituency of Benue State.
DAILY POST reported that, the Supreme Court of Nigeria, had on 25th June, 2017, in a unanimous judgement, sacked Hembe, ordering that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) should issue a fresh Certificate of Return to Mato.
The apex court also ordered Hembe to refund the cumulative salaries and allowances paid him for the past 2 years to the government’s coffers.
Speaker Dogara has, however, refused to obey the court order, as Mrs. Mato has always been given excuses for the inability of the leadership of the green chamber to swear her in.
Hembe, on the other side, decided to approach the Supreme Court for a reversal of judgement, saying the ruling was done in error.
The Supreme Court, however, in its judgement of September 20th, said it could not reverse itself, insisting that Hembe must vacate his seat.
According to an inside source, “the Speaker and Hembe are very close allies and the news of the court judgement came as a surprise to the Speaker”.
This must have informed the delay in the inauguration of Mato as a replacement to Hembe.
Another source who craved anonymity said it took the pressure from “some powerful Benue politicians who are not in good term with Hembe” and the Civil Society groups, to make the leadership changed its mind about Mato.
“I know of a powerful Benue politician who had to visit the Speaker twice to pressurise him to do the needful and swear in Mato”, one of the sources said.
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