The sudden postponement of the 10th Ogun Assembly’s inauguration, which had been scheduled for Tuesday, has been criticized by eight PDP members-elect.
Without warning or a reason, the inauguration was delayed by a few hours from the scheduled time.
After many had already left for the event, the postponement was announced by the assembly’s clerk, Deji Adeyemo, in a WhatsApp message.
The inauguration will now take place on June 20, according to Adeyemo, who apologized for any inconveniences.
The eight PDP members-elect were outraged by the situation and stormed the assembly complex to protest the postponement, blaming poor communication.
The members-elect pondered what could have justified the abrupt change in date a few hours before the program inside the heavily guarded assembly complex.
Member-elect Olalekan Adeleye of the Odogbolu Constituency spoke to reporters at the entrance to the assembly complex and expressed shock at the postponement.
Adeleye, who cautioned against an assembly leadership crisis, lamented that no official notice or letter was issued for the postponement, save for a WhatsApp message, which he claimed some members-elect were unaware of.
“This is odd. We were optimistic that we would resume here at 9 a.m. for our inauguration yesterday.
“To our dismay, we were locked out when we got to the assembly this morning,” he said. “When I started asking questions, someone called my attention to a WhatsApp message that was allegedly sent by the clerk of the House saying that the inauguration has been postponed to June 20.”
He affirmed that there were appropriate channels for telling them such crucial information before it was too late.
He claimed that a letter from Governor Dapo Abiodun declaring that the 10th Assembly would take office on June 13 served as notice of the inauguration.
He advised the governor to withdraw his proclamation letter and issue a new one with the new date if there was to be a postponement.
He lamented that the abrupt postponement was not the ideal way to kick off the new legislature.
