Ekiti Speaker Reacts!

It should be noted that the immediate media outcry that greeted the invasion of the Ekiti House of Assembly earlier today prevented the impeachment of the speaker by the minority opposition 7!

* Condemns the confirmation of commissioner nominees

Speaker of Ekiti State House of Assembly, Dr Adewale Omirin, has condemned the action of seven PDP members of the state House of Assembly who convened Monday to approve the reconstitution of the local government caretaker committees and confirmed the commissioner-nominees of Governor Ayodele Fayose.

The seven PDP members who sat are : Ajibola Samuel- Ekiti East II; Adeojo. Alexander- Ekiti South West II; Adeloye Adeyinka- Ikole I; Israel Olowo Ajiboye; Fatunbi Olajide J. A -Moba II; Olugbemi Joseph Dele- Ikole II and Olayinka Modupe Abeni- Ado II

In a statement by Wole Olujobi, Special Adviser on Media to the Speaker, it said the seven PDP members also attempted to pass resolutions to ratify the many illegalities by the governor.

“We have heard of this reckless abuse of the constitution from other states like stories in the movies, but today before our very eyes, seven members of the PDP were provided with 300 armed mobile policemen complete with armoured vehicles to conduct a plenary in the House of Assembly to approve the reconstitution of the council care-taker committees and confirmation of the commissioner-nominees without the 19 members of the All Progressives Congress in attendance.”

“The prelude to today’s event was well established, details of which were published in the media. The first attempt was when they planned to storm the House with thugs to attack APC members with the aid of security agents to change the leadership of the House… The plan was foiled when it leaked…”

The Speaker said though they did not succeed in changing the leadership of the House because they did not have the numbers, seven members that fell short of the required nine to form a quorum sat to illegally approve the reconstitution of the local government care-taker committees in the state, including confirming the appointments of the commissioner-nominees who were never screened as required by the law.

Omirin explained that before the House can sit if the Speaker is not available, by law, majority members will write to the Speaker for the need to sit, saying that if approved, a Speaker Extempore is appointed to conduct the business of the day. Besides, Ekiti State House of Assembly does not sit for plenary on Mondays.

His words: “Monday, according to the House Standing Rule, is for the Parliamentary where reports by members from their constituencies are reviewed and agenda set for the week sittings at the plenary. But against the rule of the House, seven PDP members led by armed policemen and thugs bundled the Clerk of the Assembly to his office and at gun-point forcefully removed the mace from his office to illegally conduct the plenary where they approved the reconstitution of the care-taker committees in the councils and confirmation of the commissioners.

“To demonstrate that police had interest and were active involved in this constitutional breach, they used their trucks to block entrances to the Assembly Complex, preventing members of APC who had one business or the other to do in the House of Assembly. Electronics media were prevented from covering the sitting while selected print media reporters were allowed in.”

We in the All Progressives Congress (APC) are law-abiding and responsible Nigerians. We have been playing our constitutional roles and we will continue doing that to lift Nigeria as a responsible member of the international community where the rule of law is supreme.

The Speaker said that all these illegal acts would be challenged in courts.

Vanguard