The 19 All Progressives Congress members
of the Ekiti State House of Assembly on
Friday formed a parallel assembly at a
secret location and suspended factional
Speaker Dele Olugbemi and the six
lawmakers loyal to him.
The APC lawmakers accused the seven
Peoples Democratic Party lawmakers of
violating Section 96 (1) of the 1999
Constitution.
Those suspended apart from Olugbemi are
Mrs. Abeni Olayinka , Adeyinka Adeloye,
Alexander Adeojo, Mr. Olowo Ajiboye, Mr.
Dele Ajibola and Mrs. Ayo Olajide-Fatunbi
Olugbemi and the six lawmakers had
purportedly “impeached” the state House of
Assembly Speaker, Dr. Adewale Omirin, and
his deputy, Taiwo Orisalade, on November
20, 2014.
At the plenary held at a secret location in
Ado-Ekiti and presided over by Omirin, the
APC lawmakers also nullified all legislative
actions purportedly carried out by the
Olugbemi-led Assembly.
The actions include the receipt and
consideration of the 2015 budget; the
dissolution and reconstitution of the
caretaker committee members for the 16
local government areas and the
confirmation of three commissioner-
nominees and special advisers.
The plenary concluded that the purported
impeachment of Omirin and the “election”
of Olugbemi as House Speaker portrayed
the Assembly in bad light, hence the need
to suspend the seven lawmakers to save
the integrity of the legislative chamber.
The Majority Leader, Churchill Adedipe, who
moved the motion, claimed that the PDP
lawmakers had consistently violated Section
96(1) of 1999 Constitution and House
Standing Order in the last one month.
He alleged that the seven lawmakers gave
false information to the public by accusing
the 19 APC legislators of receiving bribes to
impeach Governor Ayodele Fayose.
Olugbemi, however, was hostile to
journalists when they sought his reaction to
the issue.
The motion to suspend the seven PDP
lawmakers was seconded by Mrs.
Omowumi Ogunlola.
The 19 APC lawmakers at their plenary
voted in favour of autonomy for local
government and the House of Assembly and
also granted approval to Section 8 of the
Constitution which confers citizenship
rights and privileges on Nigerians anywhere
they are living in the country.
They also approved autonomy for the
offices of Accountant-General and Auditor
General of the state as part of constitution
amendment.
Adedipe also moved the motion to
reconvene the plenary at a public location
outside the House of Assembly chambers
for security reasons.
He said the action was supported by
Section 101 of the 1999 Constitution (as
amended).
The Deputy Speaker, Chief Adetunji
Orisalade seconded the motion.
The plenary resolved to hold its sittings and
conduct its legislative business at the
Faculty of Science, Ekiti State University,
Ado-Ekiti.
Adedipe moved a motion referring the seven
lawmakers to the Ethics and Privileges
Committee for further disciplinary actions.
The motion was seconded by Mrs. Bunmi
Oriniowo (Ido/Osi 1).
The lawmakers, however, passed a vote of
confidence in Omirin and the leadership of
the House.
Meanwhile, a lawyer, Mr. Jiti Ogunye,
described the crisis rocking the Ekiti State
House of Assembly as inimical to the
growth of Nigeria’s democracy.
The near collapse of governance in the
state, according to him, is a deliberate
attempt by the executive to foist its selfish
desires on the people and political system.
Ogunye said, “What we are witnessing in
Ekiti State is worse than shame. Not even
in an African movie would you see such
illegality. It is barbaric.
“The judiciary in Ekiti State is under siege.
Seven cannot be majority in a House of
over 24 lawmakers. If these seven
lawmakers are being given protection by
the police and hoodlums and those in the
majority cannot perform their legislative
functions, that is illegality. For me, Omirin
remains the Speaker of the Ekiti State
House of Assembly. Olugbemi is just a
usurper.
“Omirin and his colleagues are the majority
and have the right to go elsewhere to sit if
they cannot gain access into the Assembly.
“The constitution did not state a specific
venue where the House can carry out its
legislative function apart from the fact that
it must be in the state capital which is the
administrative headquarters.”
But another lawyer and rights activist, Mr.
Festus Keyamo, described the sitting by the
19 lawmakers outside the legislative
chamber as illegal. He also said the sitting
of the other seven PDP lawmakers was
wrong.
He called on the National Assembly to
immediately take over the legislative
functions of the Ekiti State House of
Assembly as the state does not have a
functioning assembly at the moment.
Keyamo said, “Two wrongs do not make a
right. The first seven lawmakers are wrong
and these 19 are wrong for sitting outside
the legislative chamber because the
Supreme Court has said that legislators
cannot sit outside the legislative chamber
to take any decision.
“The remedy for the 19 lawmakers was to
go to court to get an injunction against the
other side and go back to sit in the house.
“Therefore, there is no legal sitting in Ekiti
State House of Assembly now as there is
no functioning assembly. So, the National
Assembly should take over the functions of
the assembly immediately.” www.newspunch.org/ekiti-assembly-crisis-messy-19-apc-lawmakers-set-up-parallel-assembly-see-photos/

Another apc madness... God deliver us from the hand of these monsters!! Aggressive callin themselves progressive... GEJ till 2019!!!

temitemi1:
Another apc madness... God deliver us from the hand of these monsters!! Aggressive calling themselves progressive... GEJ till 2019!!!

I can only laugh at this type of joke

One would had expected Ayo Fayose to mend fences with all Ekiti indigines irrespective of party or whatever affiliation.

The winner should learn to carry the losers along cos it's about the state and nobody else.

Enough of this show of shame!

Nigerians can now see how desperate our politicians could be.

Instead of them reporting back to their duty post in Ekiti State, they are busy moving from our beer palour to another in Lagos, arranging tables together and making kangaroo sitting.

This is a waste of time, the earlier they do the right thing the better for Ekiti State.

Nigerian politicians just keep behaving like Touts.