The Ekiti State House of Assembly on Thursday removed its speaker, Hon. Kolawole Oluwawole and the Deputy Speaker, Hon. Sina Animasaun.
The speaker was subsequently replaced with Hon Ebenezer Alagbada, representing Ise/Orun constituency as the new speaker.
The Assembly also reinstated the former deputy speaker, Hon Segun Adewumi back to his former position.
The latest development was what played out in 2014 when Governor Ayodele Fayose took over power when seven members of the then assembly impeached the then Speaker Dr Adewale Omirin and installed Hon. Dele Olugbemi.
On Thursday, Hon Gboyega Aribisogan, former Minority leade , was elected the new Leader of Business.
Twelve other lawmakers including Oluwawole, were suspended for 125 legislative days by the three APC and 11 PDP lawmakers who carried out the changes.
Those suspended were: Hon Oluwawole, Animasahun , Dr. Omotoso Samuel,
Hon. Wale onigiobi , Hon. Wale Ayeni , Hon. Dare Pelemọ , Hon. Jeje Samuel, Hon Akinleye Dayo , Hon. Fajemilehin Ayodele, Hon. Fasanmi Temitope,Tunji Akinyele and Hon Sanya Aladeyelu.
At the sitting, Hon Sunday Akinniyi of the APC was elected Minority Leader, Fajana Ojo-Ade, Deputy Leader, Hon Cecilia Dada, Chief Whip, and Hon Musa Arogundade, Deputy Chief Whip.
Addressing newsmen after the plenary, Aribisogan, the new Leader of Business, said Oluwawole and other PDP lawmakers were suspended over alleged complicity in the disappearance of N60 million in the House.
He also added that they were also slammed with suspension for ineptitude, saying they allegedly allowed the reputation of the Assembly to be destroyed by the governor with their attitudes.
Aribisogan also stated that the assembly under Oluwawole was poorly funded, became practically a subservient of the executive and the speakership position was hijacked by powerful members, owing to their closeness to the governor.
He also accused the former speaker of betraying Ekiti populace by holding a secret plenary last month with other suspended members to approve N10 billion supplementary budget sent by Fayose.
“Today, we held a plenary session which was a follow up to the parliamentary we held yesterday and we carried out changes in the leadership of the House.
“When the PDP members were busy doing the presidential primary in Port Harcourt, we were busy here strategizing on how best to make Ekiti governance for the incoming government, Dr Kayode Fayemi.
“14 members sat to carry out these changes out of which 11 are addressing this press conference. We have 26 members in this Assembly, and we needed just nine to form quorum.
“Our actions were guided by the standing orders of this Assembly and we didn’t deviate from it, so the quorum was formed and our actions were legal and constitutional”, he added.
However, the state Governor Ayodele Fayose and the former speaker have condemned the action of the lawmakers.
Fayose specifically condemned the role of the security in the exercise, saying it is regrettable.
Speaking through his Chief Press Secretary, Mr Idowu Adelusi, the governor said he had done his best to reposition the state and he would leave the office in few days’ time.
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