Ekiti Gets First Female Speaker

The Ekiti State House of Assembly Chief Whip, Rt. Hon. Olubunmi Adelugba, has been unanimously elected the new Speaker by the seventeen lawmakers present at a plenary presided over by the Deputy Speaker, Rt. Hon. Hakeem Jamiu.

17 members on Monday impeached and placed on indefinite leave of absence Ekiti State House of Assembly Speaker Rt. Hon. Gboyega Aribisogan for obstructing the passage of the 2022 Supplementary Appropriations Bill.

Mrs Adelugba was then given the oath of office and the pledge of allegiance, making her the first female Speaker of the Assembly since democracy was restored in 1999.

The newly elected Speaker thanked her colleagues for electing her and vowed not to take their confidence and trust in her for granted. Later, she declared the House’s sessions sine die (indefinitely).

Six further Assembly members were also given suspensions for, among other alleged acts of disloyal and improper behaviour capable of endangering the peace of the state, tampering with the election process that resulted in Aribisogan being elected Speaker on November 15.

For their actions, which, in the opinions of their colleagues, violated the provisions of the House Standing Rules and the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Aribisogan and the six indiscreet lawmakers were also banned from being in the vicinity of the House of Assembly Complex for a period of 145 days.

Hon. Tajudeen Akingbolu (Ekiti West 1), Hon. Tope Ogunleye (Ilejemeje), Hon. Ajibade Adeyemi (Moba 1), Hon. Adekemi Balogun (Ado 1), Hon. Yemi Ayokunle (Ekiti Southwest 1), and Hon. Adegoke Olajide are the six lawmakers suspended and barred alongside the impeached Speaker (Efon).

Following the review and adoption of the report from the six-member Adhoc Investigative Committee established to look into the circumstances surrounding the failure to pass the 2022 Appropriation Bill, which they claimed could impair state governance, legislative sanctions were meted out to Aribisogan and six other individuals.

Jamiu, who presided over the plenary until Mrs. Adelugba was elected, had earlier disbanded all of the key seats and named Hon. Johnson Oyekola Bode-Adeoye as the new Leader of Government Business. He also revived the Committee on Appropriations, which had already been dissolved.

The impeached Speaker Aribisogan and six others were suspended without pay with immediate effect and are prohibited from entering a 1.5 km radius around the House’s premises, according to Deputy Speaker Jamiu, who spoke in the plenary on the terms of their punishment.

Jamiu also said that the expelled members must turn up any government property they own to the Clerk of the House and that anyone who wants to be reinstated must submit a letter of apology to the House leadership.

Jamiu took issue with the impeached Speaker for damaging the House’s reputation by exposing the internal issues of the state legislature to the mainstream media and social media, in addition to the accusations made in the Adhoc investigating committee’s report, which he deemed unacceptable.

Before the impeachment process against Aribisogan and the suspension of six others began, the chairman of the investigative committee, Hon. Bode-Adeoye, presented the parliamentarians with the report of the panel’s findings, which was overwhelmingly endorsed.

You can read more of such stories at Credible News.

• Fayemi Backs Ekiti Lawmakers To Impeach Me – Speaker
• Oyebanji, Sworn-in as Ekiti State Governor, Freezes State’s Account
• 2023 Elections: Osun and Ekiti States Polls is a Testament of our Credibility – INEC

The Committee recommended the impeachment and immediate indefinite suspension of the former Speaker from office after finding Aribisogan and the six other lawmakers guilty of their unpatriotic actions that prevented the approval of the 2022 Supplementary Appropriations Bill.

The Committee also suggested that the six lawmakers be suspended without pay for a period of time due to their alleged involvement in a number of improper activities with the ousted Speaker.

As part of the alleged violations, Assembly members whose votes were disallowed from counting during the election for a new Speaker to succeed the late former Speaker, Rt. Hon. Funminiyi Afuye, on November 15 were made to feel dissatisfied, tense, and anxious.

The Committee also judged them responsible for bringing criminals carrying lethal weapons into the complex’s gallery and chambers, endangering the safety of House of Assembly members and endangering the lives of all innocent staff members.

The former Speaker and his six colleagues were also found to be complicit by the Committee due to their alleged roles in the desecration of the location and the sacred chambers on Monday, November 14, specifically at 2:00 am, when they brought in individuals believed to be juju men for ritual purposes.

In the course of its inquiry, the Committee invited House leaders to discuss their responsibilities in the failure to adopt the 2022 Supplementary Appropriations Bill and other anti-patriotic actions.

The Chairman of the Finance and Appropriation Committee, Mrs Adelugba, was called before the committee to discuss the role(s) played by her or her committee in the failure of the Supplementary Appropriation Bill.

The new Speaker spoke before the Investigative Committee to deny any impropriety in the Supplementary Appropriations Bill’s obstruction.

While some Honourable Members did not show up or provide any documents to the Committee throughout the investigation, others who had pertinent material were permitted to make representations or presentations.

After adjourning plenary, the new Speaker, Mrs Adelugba, took her colleagues to the APC State Secretariat to officially inform party leaders of the change in the Assembly’s leadership.

You can read more of such stories at Credible News and The Cheer News