7 PDP lawmakers sacks Ekiti Speaker, appoints protem speaker

    * …… okay Fayose’s commissioner-nominees

There was a sudden twist of events in the Ekiti State House of Assembly as the seven  Peoples Democratic Party’s lawmakers on Monday dramatically sacked the Speaker, Dr. Adewale Omirin. 

Sitting under the watch of armed policemen stationed at the Assembly with an Armor Personnel Carrier blocking the entrance to the Assembly as early as 7 am, the lawmakers  appointed Dele Olugbemi as Protem Speaker to preside over the plenary.

The PDP lawmakers cited the absence of the Speaker, Dr. Adewale Omirin, and his deputy, Taiwo Orisalade, as reasons for the appointment of the Acting Speaker for the day’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.

But the All Progressives Congress maintained that only seven members of the Assembly, mainly PDP members, sat at the plenary when it required nine members to form a quorum.

Special Adviser to the Speaker, Wole Olujobi had cried out, “Just now, Governor Fayose has provided about 300 policemen escorted by armoured cars to lead seven members of PDP to conduct a sitting approving the caretaker committees in the local govts.”

According to Olujobi, “House does not sit on Mondays. Mondays are for parliamentary. 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 to verify this claim as policemen lay siege to the Assembly Complex."

Meanwhile, the Speaker has also vowed to challenge all the decisions taken by the PDP Caucus in court.

In a statement by its State Publicity Secretary, Taiwo Olatunbosun, in Ado-Ekiti, the party accused Fayose of compelling the seven-member PDP caucus to sit and do his bidding.

The statement reads, “In his characteristic manner, Fayose this morning went to the hallowed chamber in company of armed soldiers and policemen, dreadfully garbed, and unleashed terror on the innocent assembly workers, forced his way in and compelled his 7-man PDP house members to sit and do his bidding.

“We condemn the act in its entirety and we call on all well-meaning Nigerians to support our clarion call to call Governor Fayose to order. We have not minced words to point out the series of constitutional infringements being committed by Fayose as Ekiti State Governor and this is just one in many. We are cocksure that this impunity will not stop.

“We also learnt that realising that it would require nine members to form a quorum in a 26-member house, Fayose also brought some strange men into the hallowed chamber to impersonate Honourable Assembly members in his attempt at ensuring a constituted quorum.

“He insisted that they must appoint a speaker among them and go ahead with legislative matters, forgetting that the house doesn’t hold plenaries on Monday. How bad can an impunity be?

“We condemn in categorical terms Fayose’s lawlessness and executive recklessness. His bully and arm-twisting tactics know no bounds and he is acting like an emperor who cannot be stopped. He has hijacked and pocketed the Judiciary and he believes there is nothing stopping him from taking over the legislative functions, as long as his gun-totting soldiers are at his beck and call.”

The PDP caucus at the plenary confirmed the appointment of three commissioner nominees.

They are Owoseni Ajayi, Commissioner for Justice and Attorney General; Mr. Kayode Oso as Commissioner for Works and Transport, and Chief Toyin Ojo as Commissioner for Finance.

It also approved the list of the Caretaker Committees for the 16 Local Governments.

The House has been taken over by the police.