Confusion in Ekiti Assembly, minority approves Fayose's nominees

Confusion in Ekiti Assembly, minority approves Fayose's nominees

Monday, November 17, 2014 6:26 pm


•Dr. Adewale Omirin: Speaker Ekiti House of Assembly

•Dr. Adewale Omirin: Speaker Ekiti House of Assembly

Governor Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti state encouraged illegality and blatant violation of constitutional rule as seven members of the State House of Assembly convened Monday to approve the appointment of three commissioners and members of the caretaker committees of local councils. The minority members also empowered the governor to appoint 12 special advisers.

Ekiti Assembly has 26 members, 19 of them, members of the opposition All Progressives Congress.

About 200 armed policemen were said to have provided protection for the errant members as they met today in Ado-Ekiti, shutting out the substantive Speaker of the House and other members, on a day that the members normally do not meet in plenary.

Reports said the seven members, under armed guards, appointed an acting speaker and went on to perform the approvals sought by Governor Fayose. The House needs the presence of nine members to form a quorum.

The seven members of the House who met today included six members of the APC who decamped after Fayose was declared the winner of the June governorship election.

Olayinka Modupe Abeni

Olayinka Modupe Abeni

Ajibola-Samuel-Oyedele: part of the kangaroo session

Ajibola-Samuel-Oyedele: part of the kangaroo session

Adeloye Adeyinka Olubunmi: in the minority session

Adeloye Adeyinka Olubunmi: in the minority session

Adeojo-Alexander-Ayodele: was also there

Adeojo-Alexander-Ayodele: was also there


Ajiboye-Israel-Olowo: was also in the assembly today

Ajiboye-Israel-Olowo: was also in the assembly today

They 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, Olayinka Modupe Abeni- Ado II.

Their action triggered speculations that the speaker, Dr. Adewale Omirin had been impeached.

But the Special Assistant to Governor Ayo Fayose, Lere Olayinka, claimed that there was no such action.

He claimed that nine members met and approved the appointment of local government caretaker committee members. He did not provide the names of the nine members. He said the House also confirmed the appointment of three commissioners and empowered the governor to appoint 12 Special Advisers.

“Nine members of the House sat today (Monday). There are 26 members in the House and nine formed quorum and can still sit to take decisions. No impeachment of the Speaker,”he said.

The All Progressives Congress has meanwhile raised an alarm over what it called the acts of impunity in the State, where only seven members of the House of Assembly reportedly conducted a plenary on Monday morning, a day the house does not normally sit in plenary.

The party in a statement issued in Abuja on Monday by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, said over 200 armed policemen are currently offering protection to the seven PDP members of the House, who convened purposely to impeach the Speaker, approve the list of Commissioners-designate as well as the Caretaker Committees for the local councils in the state.

The Special Adviser to the Speaker, Wole Olujobi, also stated that the governor provided about 300 policemen escorted by armoured cars to lead seven members of PDP to conduct a sitting in the House.

“House does not sit on Mondays. The seven members do not form a quorum to have legal right to sit in the plenary, which of course does not hold on Monday. By this action, Governor Fayose is dragging our state to the mud. Let us call Ekiti people to verify this claim as policemen lay siege to the Assembly Complex,” Olujobi said.

Mohammed in his statement said, ”The issue of the Caretaker Committees, which Governor Ayodele Fayose plans to swear in on Monday after the illegal approval by the House, is sub judice, hence the House cannot even discuss it not to talk of acting on it.

“Also, while the Governor was advised by the Clerk of the House that seven members out of 26 do not form a quorum, he said after all, only eight of 24 members in the Plateau House of Assembly impeached then Governor Joshua Dariye in 2006!”

” APC also warned that while a lot of unconstitutional and illegal activities have taken place under the PDP-led Federal Government, including the impeachment of then Governor Joshua Dariye of Plateau State by only eight out of 24 members of the State House of Assembly, any decision taken by only seven PDP members in the 26-member Ekiti House of Assembly will not stand.”


Join The Conversation

What do you think?

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.