Date Published: 04/18/10

EGALITERIAN MISSION IN AFRICA

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E-mail: egalimission@yahoo.com

NEWS BULLETIN

Speakership tussle Ondo State House of Assembly, Lawyer calls for caution

An Abuja based legal practitioner and human right activist who is also the chairman of Egalitarian Mission in Africa, Chief Kayode Ajulo has cautioned Politicians in Ondo State not to disintegrate with the recent seemingly peaceful change in the leadership of the State House of Assembly.

  Before now, the Sunshine State legislative arm of government was chaired by Mr. Taofik Abudusalam before a 2/3 majority of the House decided to impeach him on the grounds of ineptitude and the need for a balance in political zoning.
 
Chief Ajulo who said he happened to be in Ondo-State when the leadership change occurred warned against playing politics with the interest of the state “which   may lead to sacrificing the peace of the erstwhile harmonious Sunshine State on the altar of party interest and personal  aggrandizement .”

It would be recalled that following the impeachment of the former speaker, Taofik Abuldsalam and his deputy, Mayowa Akinfolarin, all other principal officers of the House also lost their principal offices, paving way for the emergence of a new leadership of the house headed by RT. Hon Samuel Adesina from Odigbo constituency 11 as the new speaker of the hallowed legislative Chamber.

Reacting to the development, Chief Ajulo said “I cast my mind back to the reports on this development and what interest me is that the Clerk of the House, Mr. Jaye Dada when the new leadership paid a surprise visit to Governor Olusegun Mimiko in his Office stated clearly that all constitutional procedures were followed in the change of the former leadership of the House.

He stated further that the Clerk even explained to the governor that eighteen law makers signed the impeachment notice “… which by constitutional standard was needed for such to take place, only for some PDP legislators signatory to the impeachment to now make a u-turn and allege that their signatures were forged by one Honorable Kele or  whoever  they are accusing.”

Chief Ajulo maintained that as a lawyer he has hard facts, documentary evidences and forensic testimony that the said legislators really signed the impeachment notice.

Chief Ajulo also submitted that; “Though I’m not a politician, nor should I be seen defending Labour party or government, but pictures, I mean unedited videos clip don’t lie or would any Nigerian believe that someone in person of Hon Fatai Adams Adekanye whose hand was held up for election alongside Hon. Samuel Adesina to become  the new Speaker did not really signed the impeachment notice of Abdusalam? If his signature was forged was his person also forged or cloned to participate in the proceedings and especially the contest for speakership? Let us not deceive ourselves.”

In the opinion of the Chairman of Egalitarian Mission, Africa, the covert reason why the former Speaker was removed by the PDP and not by the administration of Governor Mimiko as the likes of Mr. Otitoju will want the unsuspecting public to believe was the former Speaker’s intimacy with the Governor which can be gleaned from the followings:

1.      The cordial relationship between the Executive and Legislative arms of Government in the State as evidenced by the quick passage of the 2010 budget and other Executive bills.

2.      The former Speaker’s ambition to contest his Senatorial Zone with the PDP bigwig Senator Bode Olajumoke who is looking forward to be the next Senate President.

3.      The need by the PDP to continue the party zoning arrangement in Ondo State as the present Governor is from Ondo Central while the Ondo North has the Deputy Governor, Speaker, Minister and a Member of Fiscal Revenue Mobilization and Allocation Commission leaving the Ondo South with nothing.

Chief Kayode Ajulo questions the PDP on why it did not continue its much mouthed legal action against the impeachment of the former Speaker but resorted to deceit and campaign of calumny against the State government stating that “When in the real and actual fact I am not commending nor condemning the impeachment of the former Speaker, I feel deeply convinced within me that in an egalitarian Society, things must be done truthfully and in utmost good faith.” He said.

Chief Ajulo continued, “…Wait a minute the question that should be asked is when did those that turned around and claimed that their Signature were forged realized this, was it after the election of the new Speaker which they participated in or before the impeachment of the former Speaker ... I think if they feel aggrieved and still think their signatures were forged, let them go to court so that at least evidences for and against if any, can be produced.

He also condemned the PDP arm twisting tactics since the advent of the new leadership of the Ondo State House of Assembly among which are the suspension of the new Speaker and some PDP lawmakers who acted “Bold Disciples” in the impeachment of the former Speaker from the Peoples Democratic Party.

While reeling out his opinion about this as well as their decamping to the ruling Labour Party, Chief Kayode Ajulo explained that “Since the PDP suspended Hon Adesina, Hon Bakita Bello and Hon Idowu Adebusuyi from the Party, they cannot be hanging in the balance, so they chose to defect to Labour Party for reasons best known to them and particularly when the PDP has been factionalized with different groups singing discordant tunes.”

Chief Kayode Ajulo, the Bamofinlewe of Akureland also expressed the serial deceit, fraud and turning facts on its head that it was the government of Olusegun Mimiko that removed the Speaker, whereas the Governor expressed shock over the sudden change in the leadership of the House when the government was enjoying a robust relationship with the legislature which can be seen in the speedy passage of the 2010 appropriation bill as well as other executive bill."

 
He alerted the people of Ondo state not to allow anybody to plunge the state into chaos by those he called legislators whose elections have been nullified and have nothing at stake again in the State.

Chief Ajulo therefore called on all stakeholders in the politics of Ondo State to,"... as a matter of urgency leave partisan politics aside and team up with Governor Olusegun Mimiko in his efforts towards repositioning Ondo State while also striving to place it on an irreversible path of development and growth."

Signed

Dele Olubi

Head, News & Current Affairs Department

Egalitarian Mission, Africa.

--
Kolawole Olabisi,
Chief Press Secretary to the Governor of Ondo State, Governor's Office. Akure, Ondo State