Crisis brews in Ekiti Assembly as APC lawmakers reject long adjournment

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Fresh crisis is brewing in the Ekiti state House of Assembly following the adjournment of legislative business to October by the majority Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) members of the House.

The minority All Progressives Congress (APC) legislators described the long adjournment as illegal and not in the interest of the people of the state who elected them.

The APC Assembly members led by the Minority Leader, Chief Gboyega Aribisogan (Ikole Constituency 1), alleged that the long adjournment was masterminded by Governor Ayo Fayose in a bid to emasculate the legislative arm.

Other APC members of the Ekiti parliament are Mr. Sunday Akinniyi (Ikere Constituency 1) and Mr. Adeniran Alagbada (Ise/Orun Constituency).

Aribisogan, Akinnyi and Alagbada defected from the PDP at different times and joined the APC over internal crisis that rocked their former party.

The twenty-three PDP legislators led by Speaker Kola Oluwawole at a plenary on Tuesday adjourned sitting till October 8 in protest over the governorship election result and alleged harassment of Fayose and PDP members by security agencies.

Leader of Business, Mr. Tunji Akinyele, who moved the motion for the adjournment, said this became imperative due to the political harassment of members by security agents.

But Aribisogan said the APC Assembly members are ready for legislative business, calling on the Police and Department of State Services (DSS) to give the minority lawmakers security anytime they decide to perform their constitutional duties.

Aribisogan said: “That long adjournment was illegal and even the plenary held on Tuesday was illegal because it was Governor Fayose that directed the Speaker to hold that plenary without notice to all members.

“It is unfortunate that we still have this executive recklessness going on in Ekiti State. Maybe the Speaker has forgotten that we now have members of APC in the House because we were neither notified nor consulted.

“That is why we have resolved that we are not going on recess. We are open for our normal legislative business from Mondays to Fridays and we are calling on security agencies so that we can perform our constitutional duties without let or hindrance.

“We are not on recess and we are calling on Ekiti people who have one business or the other in the Assembly to come and meet us.

“They (PDP legislators) are listening to the advice of one man who, perhaps has ordered the Speaker to suspend legislative activities.”

When asked whether three APC members can form a quorum to perform legislative duties, Aribisigan replied: “On our own, we are not on recess; it is only when you are going for plenary that you need a quorum but we can sit at parliamentary, committee and constituency
meetings.”

Akinniyi said: “It was an act of arrogance to have proceeded on an illegal long adjournment. It is against the rule of the House because there are two parties in the House.

“It appears the Speaker is living in a fool’s paradise without giving notice to all members of the Assembly. We APC members of Ekiti State House of Assembly are alive to our responsibilities to legislate for the good of our people and perform other oversight functions.

“For somebody to listen to the instruction of a governor who is in the forest to be controlling the Assembly. What they have done is highly illegal and we have resolved that the legislative business will continue.

“We have duly informed security agencies that we (APC House members) are ready to continue with our constitutional functions so that anytime we are there, they will give us security.

“The minority members will resume office anytime we want because we are not on recess and no individual, no matter how powerful, can stop us from performing our lawful duties.”



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