……As Honourable Alagbada Adeniran Emerges Ekiti New Speaker.
Emmanuel Adeniran, Ado Ekiti.
Ekiti State House Of Assembly Speaker Rt. Honourable Kolawole Oluwawole and his Deputy, Honourable Sina Animasahun was on Thursday suspended by 14 out of the 26 members of the Ekiti State House of Assembly in Ado-Ekiti today.
The new Speaker is now Rt. Honourable Adeniran Alagbada while the former Deputy Speaker earlier removed, Rt. Hon. Segun Adewunmi was returned as the Deputy Speaker.
The former Minoriry Leader, Hon. Gboyega Aribisogan emerged as the New Leader of Business in the House while Honourable Sunday Akinniyi a.k.a Gbosa, a new defector to the APC is now the Minority leader of the House.
At the sitting, Honourable Sunday Akinniyi was elected as the Minority Leader, Honourable Fajana Ojo-Ade as the Deputy Leader, Honourable Cecilia Dada as the Chief Whip and Honourable Musa Arogundade as the Deputy Chief Whip.
The New Speaker, Rt. Honourable Alagbada Adeniran said 14 lawmakers converged and suspended 12 lawmakers of the Assembly based on gross misconduct and ineptitude.
But during the Legislative sitting, 11 out of the 14 lawmakers addressed the Press, the New speaker however explained that the 3 lawmakers who were absent went on official duty.
At the Press Conference, it was gathered that “this morning, 14 out of the 26 members of the Ekiti State Assembly proceeded to impeach the Speaker Rt. Hon. Kola Oluwawole while 11 others were suspended as a result of gross misconduct and allegations of fraud and ineptitude levelled against them”.
The 11 Lawmakers who were suspended included the Deputy Speaker, Rt. Honourable Shina Animasahun, Dr. Omotoso Samuel, Hon. Wale onigiobi, Hon. Wale Ayeni, Hon. Dare Pelemọ, Hon. Jeje Samuel, Hon. Akinleye Dayo, Hon. Fajemilehin Ayodele, Hon. Fasanmi Temitope, Hon Tunji Akinyele and Hon. Sanya Aladeyelu.
The New Leader of Business, Hon. Gboyega Aribisogan said the suspended lawmakers brought shame to Ekiti State for approving supplementary budget of approximately N10bn
and setting up a Committee responsible for the disappearance of N60 Million from the House of Assembly.
The new Speaker, Hon. Alagbada Adeniran in his acceptance speech, appreciated the members for reposing confidence in him, saying he won’t betray the confidence and the trust reposed on him.
“You are aware that the House has since the inception of the present administration become the property of the Governor rather than an Arm of the Government. Ekiti State is yearning for a purposeful legislature that would be truly committed and independent to discharging its
constitutional duties as entrenched in the Constitution of the Country”.
“We will no longer allow a situation whereby legislature will be pocketed or caged by the Executive Arm of the Government. Let me assure all and sundry that we will cooperate with the Governor-Elect, Dr Kayode Fayemi to
move Ekiti forward.
“You will recalled that the Fourth Assembly changed its leadership in 2014 when some members of the APC defected to PDP to facilitate the smooth take off of Mr. Ayodele Fayose’s regime. So, history is only repeating itself and there is nothing extra – ordinary in what we have done”.
The Speaker announced the dissolution of all the statutory and standing Committees of the House, urging the Chairmen to hand over to their
respective Secretaries.
In this same vain, the Suspended Speaker, Rt. Hon. Kola Oluwawole while reacting to his Impeachment saga on the floor of the House of Assembly today, said his purported
impeachment is a rape on the Nigeria’s young Democracy and a desecration to the lowest
level of lawlessness and illegality.
According to a statement by his Special Assistant on Media, Mr. Stephen
Gbadamosi; Rt. Hon. Kola Oluwawole acknowledged that those who carried out the illegality were provided with the Police cover which prevented other members and even staff
of the House from gaining entrance into the Assembly complex.
“This is bizarre in a democracy. This is the height of illegality and it can never stand. As the Speaker of the House, I supervised over the
last adjournment of the House, which was carried out according to the law and the laid down rules of the Ekiti State House of Assembly”.
“I retain the power to reconvene the House and I have not done that yet. How then can some people say the House sat? This is totally
illegal. The role of the police in this siege is very clear. It was the enemies of the Democracy that perpetrated the illegal sitting in the House. Ekiti State House of Assembly has not been reconvened by its Speaker”.
“The House had standing order based on the Nigerian Constitution clearly stated in the Assembly procedure. They have breached the rules for not following the two third majority of 18 lawmakers that can impeach. Despite the fact that they collaborated with the Nigerian Police, the Ekiti State House of Assembly is still under my leadership and still stands out against all odds. Hence I am still the Speaker of Ekiti State House of Assembly”.
On Committee that allegedly responsible for disappearance of N60million, Honourable Samuel Omotosho said this is not true. The Ekiti State House of Assembly do not keep funds because there are financial process which must passed through the Director of Finance and Administration (DFA).
Governor Fayose however in his reaction to the development blamed the Security Agencies on the impeachment saga. He condemned the role of the security in the impeachment of Ekiti State Speaker, Pastor Kola Oluwawole saying it is regretable.
Speaking through his Chief Press Secretary, Mr Idowu Adelusi, the Governor said he had done his best to reposition the State and he would leave the Office in few days time. Fayose urged all the stakeholders particularly the legislative arm of the government to put the interest of Ekiti first.
The Governor stated further, “above all, with Kola Oluwawole or Ebenezer Alagbada as speaker, I enjoin them to cooperate with the incoming administration in the overall interest of our people.”
