Ekiti Assembly about to boil as APC members spur for war

Ekiti State House of Assembly may be heading for a real crisis as the minority members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) have rejected adjournment of House plenary till October.

The House had during its Tuesday plenary, sequel to adjournment motion moved by the Majority Leader, Akinyele Olatunji, adjourned sitting till October 8, a week to the swearing in of the governor elect, Kayode Fayemi.

Olatunji, in moving the motion had cited the continued harassment of members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and lawmakers by security operatives, as reasons for the adjournment.

But minority members of the APC on Wednesday in Ado-Ekiti, the state capital, told newsmen that they were not in support of the long adjournment, describing it as illegal and not in the interest of the people of the state.

Minority Leader of the Assembly, Gboyega Aribisogan (Ikole Constituency 1), led the protesting APC members. They said they were going to continue with legislative business and called on the security agencies to provide them with security any time they are carrying out their constitutional functions.

“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,” Aribisogan said.

On if only three APC members in the House can form a quorum required to carry out legislative functions, he said:

“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

“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,” said Mr Akinniyi, another minority member.

“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 live to our responsibilities to legislative for the good of our people and perform other oversight functions.

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“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, te 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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