Ekiti AC lawmakers fume - Over board appointments, 2008 budget

Dapo Falade, Ado-Ekiti - 03.01.2008

THE Ekiti State House of Assembly appears to be heading for another round of crisis over the list of nominees of boards, commissions, agencies and parastatals sent to the lawmakers by the state governor, Mr. Segun Oni, for screening and confirmation.

The Action Congress (AC) lawmakers in the state are already kicking against the list which they said was made up of only Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chieftains.

It was gathered that they prepared to oppose the clearance of the nominees if the state government fails to compose a “fresh list that is representative of all shades of opinions in the state.”

The AC legislators are also said to be spoiling for a showdown over the N76 billion budget proposal recently sent to the House by Governor Oni, demanding to know the level of implementation of the supplementary budget of late last year before the 2008 budget would be passed.

Speaking on behalf of the AC lawmakers on Wednesday, Honourable Ajewole Edward Ashaolu (Ekiti South- West I) said the executive acted in bad faith by sending the list of board nominees made up of only PDP members to the House for screening, leaving out nominees from other political parties in the state.

Noting that Ekiti was not a PDP state, Ashaolu expressed dismay that opposition parties and the AC legislators were not consulted when the list was drawn, adding that the AC lawmakers were ready to frustrate the clearance of the nominees.

He also accused the PDP-led administration in the state of self-centredness and self-aggrandisement, noting that Oni should have offered a hand of fellowship to all political parties and interest groups in the composition of commissions and boards as against what he called the “winners-take-all syndrome” allegedly afflicting the PDP government.

“I don't see how the list can scale through; it is just like the Biblical adage that says it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of the needle than for that list to get the blessing of the AC members in the House of Assembly because it needs to be passed by the majority and I don’t see how the AC members will fold their arms and let this one have a free passage.

“To me personally, it must be rejected. Politics apart, we need to ensure that all political parties in Ekiti State come together to slavage the state and move it forward. All the interest groups must be represented to move the state forward, they don't need to be self-centred,” he said.

In his reaction, the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Public Communication, Mr. Moses Jolayemi, said “it is unfortunate that the AC lawmakers would read meanings into such a laudable and people-oriented budget.

“Their actions show that those who are controlling them from within and outside the state are not at rest. They are working round the clock to scuttle programmes aimed at improving the lives of the people.

“The truth of the matter is that there is a set of people, no matter how good you are and your deeds, they will always complain. Those complaining are the bad losers who will never see anything good in Governor Oni.

“However, Oni remains undaunted in the task of facilitating the socio-economic development of Ekiti State, the antic of his critics notwithstanding,” he said.