There is confusion over claims that Governor Usman Ododo of Kogi State was “bounced” from the Senate during the confirmation of the new Chief of Army Staff, Major-General Waheedi Shaibu, at the National Assembly on Wednesday.
Governor Ododo was at the National Assembly for the confirmation hearing in solidarity with Shaibu, who hails from Kogi State.
Ododo was said to have been prevented from accessing the Senate during the confirmation hearing, a situation that makes it the second time such a measure would be meted out against him.
Reports reaching Lagos Times indicate that officials of the National Assembly allegedly denied access to Kogi State Governor, Usman Ododo, during the Senate’s confirmation of newly appointed service chiefs.
Sources within the Assembly revealed that no other state governors were present to show solidarity with service chiefs from their respective states, prompting officials to restrict Ododo’s entry.
According to information obtained by Lagos Times, this marks the second time the governor has been prevented from attending a Senate session. The first incident reportedly occurred during the confirmation of the substantive Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Joash Amupitan — who also hails from Kogi State.
A source familiar with the development said:
“Governor Usman Ododo was again asked to leave the Senate chamber. He came to show support for the newly appointed Chief of Army Staff from Kogi State.
“This is the second time the Senate has asked him to leave. He had earlier attended the screening of the INEC Chairman and was told it wasn’t appropriate. It’s becoming embarrassing, and they made it clear he shouldn’t attend such sessions again.
“Today, since the Chief of Army Staff is from Kogi, he came once more, but officials reminded him that the other service chiefs — from Ekiti and Kano — did not have their governors in attendance. They said the appointments were professional, not political.”
The source added that Governor Ododo had not received an official invitation to attend the confirmation hearing.
Kogi Government Reacts: ‘Baseless Lies’
Reacting swiftly, Kogi State Commissioner for Information and Communication, Kingsley Fanwo, dismissed the reports as “baseless and mischievous,” describing them as attempts to embarrass the state’s chief executive.
Speaking to Lagos Times, Fanwo clarified that Governor Ododo’s visit to the Senate was to show support for Kogi indigenes being considered for national positions, not for any political reason.
“The governor attended the screening of the INEC Chairman to lend support because he is from Kogi State,” Fanwo said.
“Today, I was with him when he also went to show support to the new Chief of Army Staff. He met with senators and stakeholders before leaving to submit the report of the Ekiti APC governorship primary, which he chaired.”
Fanwo added that the governor was not walked out of the National Assembly and questioned the logic behind such claims.
“On what grounds would anyone walk him out? Did he break any rule? We were there for over an hour, and no such thing happened. The National Assembly is a respected institution that communicates formally; no such directive was issued,” he insisted.
The commissioner further alleged that “some disgruntled politicians” were behind the spread of “falsehoods and baseless lies” to tarnish the governor’s image.
