The Speaker, Ekiti State House of Assembly, Dr. Adewale Omirin,
said on Tuesday that Governor Ayodele Fayose had ordered the
sealing off of his office.
This, the Speaker claimed, followed the action of seven PDP
members of Ekiti State House of Assembly who illegally sat to
attempt to change the leadership of the House, but only succeeded
in approving the reconstitution of the local government caretaker
committees and confirmation of the commissioner-nominees sent
to the House of Assembly last week by Fayose.
A statement by his Special Adviser on Media, Wole Olujobi,ý said
the governor had earlier employed threats and coercion, including
freezing the accounts of the Assembly, cutting off the electricity
supply from the Speaker’s Lodge and stopping statutory votes for
the Speaker’s upkeep and protocol to intimidate Omirin and have
firm control of the House.
He added that on Tuesday, the governor announced the sacking of
the Speaker’s aides, ýincluding that of the Deputy Speaker and
Majority Leader.
Olujobi claimed that the Speaker’s official vehicles had been
demobilised because their keys had been taken to the office of the
governor, while his official drivers had been redeployed.
Efforts to get the state government reaction to this failed.
But Fayose had earlier denied involvement in the purported removal
of the Speaker of the Ekiti House of Assembly.
The PDP lawmakers had cited the absence of the Speaker and his
deputy, Taiwo Orisalade, as reasons for the appointment of the
Acting Speaker for the Monday’s business.
Although, the PDP has seven, members in the Assembly, 10 persons
attended the plenary on Monday including three whose identities
remained unknown as of press time.
The APC on Tuesday maintained that only seven members of the
Assembly including three ‘fake’ legislators sat at the plenary when it
required nine members to form a quorum.
The party challenged the governor to name the 10 lawmakers that
sat on Monday and to provide the video recording of the
proceeding.
The situation is already generating heat in the state.
But Fayose’s Special Assistant on Information, Mr. Lanre Ogunsuyi,
on Tuesday said the government would not allow the situation to
degenerate into a crisis in the state.
Addressing journalists in Ado-Ekiti, Ogunsuyi said the Speaker had
yet to brief the governor on the incident.
Maintaining innocence of the governor, he said Fayose had once
saved Omirin from impeachment.
He said, “We are waiting to see if the Speaker was removed or not.
But we know the Assembly is empowered to appoint a Speaker
extempore. What happened yesterday (Monday) was an affair of the
Assembly. He (Fayose) has no hand in it. He is not a beneficiary of
any of the action.
“When they need us they will come to us. Up till now the Speaker
has not come to the governor.”
Ogunsuyi, however, said what happened at the Assembly with the
approval of the three commissioner nominees was in the interest of
the state.
He said the state’s Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice
was needed to draft document for the state to access the N220bn
Small, Micro and Medium Enterprises’ Development Fund of the
Central Bank of Nigeria.
He added that the Commissioner for Works also needed to represent
the state at a World Bank event.
Ogunsuyi said the government did not expect a smooth relationship
with the Assembly because of party differences.
“We don’t expect the relationship to be very smooth because of the
party differences. But honestly speaking, the Assembly is for the
state. They have the right to reject a thing if it’s not in the interest
of the state but they don’t have the right to reject a thing if it’s not
in their party’s interest.
“Nobody should use the government platform to advance party’s
interest.”
The governor’s aide also frowned on the branding of the Ekiti people
that went to witness the Assembly’s sitting as thugs.
He said, “My people should not be addressed as thugs anytime they
take interest in the activities of government. They are no thugs.
They were the people that voted and are interested in the
government. Some of these people have their business under threat
while some have their shops locked by the former government.”
Ogunsuyi also justified the sacking of the aides of the Speaker by
the government.
According to him, the last administration made a law that the
governor will appoint aides for the principal officer and Local
Government chairmen.
“What happened was that the Governor had to revalidate the
appointments. It is left for the Speaker to put heads with the
governor. If he is interested in retaining those people, the governor
would appoint them for him.
“But he passed that law knowingly or unknowingly that the governor
would appoint aides for him.”
The Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Idowu Adelusi, who also attended the
briefing, recalled that former Governor Kayode Fayemi did the same
thing by sacking all the political appointees on assumption of office.