Mr. Simon Achuba has been sworn in as the Deputy Governor of Kogi State after the state House of Assembly approved his nomination for the position.
Governor Yahaya Bello sent a letter containing his nomination as deputy governor to the Assembly on Monday after weeks of deliberations.
Achuba was sworn in as deputy governor behind closed doors in the Banquet Hall of the Government House shortly after the House endorsed his nomination.
The Speaker of the House of Assembly, Alhaji Momoh-Jimoh Lawal, confirmed to journalists who were denied entry into the venue of the inauguration, that the approval was in response to a letter by the governor seeking the consideration and approval of the House for the nomination.
He added that the request and approval of the Assembly was in consonance with Section 191 (3) (c) of the 1999 Constitution which provided for the position of a Deputy Governor.
The Speaker explained that the approval of Achuba, who defected from the Peoples Democratic Party to the All progressives Congress in May, 2015 was to prevent a vacuum from being created in the state government.
Achuba, a two-time member of the House was asked to take a bow and go following the submissions of members that as a former member of the Assembly, there was no need to subject him to rigorous screening.
Born on July 13, 1964, Achuba was a member of the Assembly between 1999 and 2007 and Deputy Speaker of the house between 2003 and 2007 as well as the immediate-past chairman of Kogi State Environmental Protection Board.
Also, the Assembly approved a list of 21 nominees for appointment as special advisers to the governor.
Lawal added that the request for special advisers was contained in a separate letter from the governor.
-NAN
