ABIODUN NEJO
Ekiti State House of Assembly on Thursday removed its Speaker, Hon Kolawole Oluwawole and the deputy, Hon Sina Animasaun, who are loyal to Governor Ayodele Fayose.
They were replaced with Hon Ebenezer Alagbada as Speaker and Hon Segun Adewumi as deputy.
But Oluwawole, flanked by eight of the suspended lawmakers, told journalists at his official residence that he remained the Speaker of Assembly, describing the action of the 14 members as illegal.
The 14 members of the 26-member Assembly, who sat at plenary, suspended Oluwawole, Animasaun and 10 Peoples Democratic Party members for 125 legislative days over gross misconduct and other sundry allegations.
The Alagbada-led Assembly, which recalled erstwhile suspended members, Hons Gboyega Aribisogan and Sunday Akinniyi, also dissolved all committees of the legislative body.
It also elected new principal officers – Hons Aribisogan (Leader of Business), Fatima Ogunade (Deputy Leader), Cecilia Dada (Chief Whip), Musa Arogundade (Deputy Whip) and Akinniyi (Minority Leader).
Alagbada, in his acceptance speech, promised to reposition the Assembly for effective service delivery.
The new speaker, who said the House, under his leadership, would cooperate with the administration of the incoming governor, Dr Kayode Fayemi, to make Ekiti great again, said: “What we have done today is history repeating itself to ensure smooth take-off of the incoming administration”.
The Leader of Business, Aribisogan, who stated reason for suspension of the affected 12 lawmakers, alleged that the Oluwawole leadership superintended over missing N60 million in the Assembly.
He accused them of allegedly bringing “odium and shame to the Assembly during the passage of the N10 billion supplementary budget last month”.
Aribisogan also said they were suspended allegedly over “gross misconduct and ineptitude of the Oluwawole administration”.
In his address, Oluwawole, said he, as the authentic speaker, would continue to follow due process by following stipulations of the House Standing Order and Rules, adding that impeachment could only be carried out by a two-third majority which is 18 members and above.
The embattled speaker dismissed all the allegations levelled against him and the Assembly under his leadership.
In his reaction, Governor Ayodele Fayose condemned the role of the security in the impeachment of the Speaker, 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.”