Ekiti Assembly removes Aribisogan and elects first woman as Speaker

The Speaker of the Ekiti State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Gboyega Aribisogan, was removed from office and placed on an indefinite leave of absence by 17 legislators on Monday, just six days after taking office, for obstructing the passage of the 2022 Supplementary Appropriations Bill.

Following a plenary meeting presided over by Deputy Speaker Hakeem Jamiu, Assembly Chief Whip Rt. Hon. Olubunmi Adelugba of the Emure Constituency was chosen speaker instead of Aribisogan right away.

Mrs Adelugba was then given the oath of office and the pledge of loyalty, making her the first female speaker of the Ekiti State House of Assembly since democracy was restored in 1999.

The new speaker thanked her colleagues for electing her and pledged not to take the faith they had in her for granted.
Later, she called an indefinite suspension of House proceedings.

Along with other suspected unpatriotic and improper behaviours capable of endangering the peace of the state, six further Assembly members were suspended for allegedly tampering with the voting process that resulted in Aribisogan being elected speaker on November 15.

Following their actions, which, in the opinion of their colleagues, violated the terms of the House Standing Rules and the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Aribisogan and the six indiscreet lawmakers were prohibited from being within 1.5 km of the Ekiti State House of Assembly Complex.

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 is the six legislators suspended and barred from 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 his accomplices.

Jamiu, who presided over the plenary until Mrs Adelugba was elected, had previously disbanded all main offices and named Hon. Johnson Oyekola Bode-Adeoye as the new head of government business. He also revived the Committee on Appropriations, which had already been abolished.

Deputy Speaker Jamiu said that impeached Speaker Aribisogan and six other people were immediately suspended without pay in his remarks during the plenary on the terms of their punishment.

Jamiu further stated that the expelled politicians must turn over any government property they may have in their hands to the State House of Assembly clerk and that anybody who wishes to be reinstated must submit a letter of apology to the legislative house’s leadership.

Jamiu criticized 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, a move he deemed unacceptable in addition to the accusations made in the report of the ad hoc investigating committee.

Before Aribisogan’s impeachment proceedings and the suspension of six other officials got underway, Investigative Committee Chairman Bode-Adeoye presented the panel’s report of findings to the parliamentarians for unanimous adoption.

The committee recommended that the former speaker be impeached and suspended from office indefinitely for their disloyal actions that prevented the passing of the 2022 Supplementary Appropriations Bill. Aribisogan and the other six lawmakers were also found guilty by the committee.

The committee also recommended the six lawmakers’ indefinite suspension for several improper actions that they are believed to have committed in concert with the ousted speaker.

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

The committee also held them guilty of bringing criminals carrying lethal weapons into the complex’s gallery and chambers, risking the security of the House of Assembly members, and endangering the lives of innocent workers and members as a whole.

The committee also found the former speaker and his six colleagues culpable for their claimed actions in desecrating the building and the sacred rooms on Monday, November 14, exactly at 2:00 am, by introducing persons believed to be juju men for ceremonial reasons.

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 newly elected speaker spoke before the Investigative Committee to deny any impropriety in the Supplementary Appropriations Bill’s obstruction.

While some did not show up or send any documents to the committee throughout the inquiry, those 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 tell party officials of the shift in the assembly’s leadership.