Confusion in Ekiti: Acting speaker dissolves cabinet -Status quo remains -Acting gov -Acting speaker is a jester -PDP lawmakers - Commissioners surplus to requirement -AC lawmaker

From Dapo Falade, Ado-Ekiti - 19.02.2009

CONFUSION attended the first day of Honourables Tunji Odeyemi and Saliu Adeoti in office on Wednesday as the acting governor of Ekiti State and acting Speaker of the state House of Assembly respectively, as Adeoti, an Action Congress (AC) party member dissolved the state executive council put in place by former Governor Segun Oni, while Odeyemi, of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), maintained that the status quo remained.

Following the ruling on Tuesday by the Court of Appeal in Ilorin, Kwara State that Oni should vacate office and that a fresh election should be conducted in 10 local government areas of the state, Odeyemi, the former Speaker of the state House of Assembly, took over the reins of governance, while his deputy, Honourable Saliu Adeoti, assumed the mantle of leadership in the Assembly.

While Odeyemi, from Gboyin Local Government Area, is a PDP legislator, Adeoti, an AC lawmaker, is from Moba Local Government Area, and the 26-member legislature, divided equally between the two political parties, had been at loggerheads over the continued stay of most of the political appointees, particularly the commissioners, who had been serving under the Oni-led administration.

At the end of the maiden State Executive Council (SEC) meeting on Wednesday, the acting governor, at a press conference addressed by the Commissioner for Information and Civic Orientation, Mr. Odunayo Ategbero, said that there would be continuity in governance, adding that the status quo remained.

Stating that all government machinery in the state remained intact, Odeyemi directed that all functionaries and political appointees, including the commissioners, should go about their normal duties, adding that he would not tolerate any act of lawlessness from any quarters in the state.

Assuring the people of the conduct of a free, fair and credible re-run in the affected local councils, he promised to ensure the promotion of equity and fairness among the people of the state, irrespective of their political affiliations.

However, while the acting governor was presiding over the SEC meeting, Adeoti, while being inaugurated as the acting Speaker in the Assembly, announced the dissolution of the SEC, as he declared that they had overstayed in office and were no longer needed in the state.

The acting speaker stated that since Mr. Segun Oni, who appointed the commissioners, did so in his official capacity as a governor and had been removed via a judicial pronouncement, the commissioners should go with him.

But the declaration by the acting speaker was made after the Leader of Government Business, Honourable Lai Oke, had moved the motion for the adjournment of the House business and after the motion had been seconded by Honourable Femi Fakorede.

The pronouncement by Adeoti subsequently elicited reactions from the PDP caucus in the Assembly, while their AC counterparts hailed the decision, saying that the appointment of the commissioners was never confirmed by the present legislature, but its predecessor in the Assembly.

In their reactions, Honourables Oke, Bisi Kolawole and Adeolu Aluko, all of PDP, condemned the action of the acting speaker, saying that his pronouncement was more of an announcement than a resolution.

Describing the acting speaker as a naive lawmaker, whom, they said, started his duty as a jester, Honourable Kolawole said that the resolution he was referring to was his personal making and not of the Assembly’s, adding, “He has no authority to do this. This is going to be an exercise in futility. Where had he derived his powers from? He had only acted as a clown.”

Also, Honourable Oke disclosed that the announcement by the acting speaker was not even on the Order Paper that was used for the day’s business, adding, “One cannot even understand what is happening in this Assembly. It will be a surprise that one day, this man will just wake up and say he has suspended all the members of the Assembly. The issue he raised today had never been raised for discussion.”

He further said that not only was the pronouncement unconstitutional, but that the legislature could only advise on such an issue, adding that, “the man’s action was not surprising as he is only acting in a position which he had never dreamt of.”

However, an AC legislator, Honourable Tope Olanipekun, said the resolution of the Speaker remained binding, declaring that the commissioners had not in any way been recognised by any of the members in the Assembly because, according to him, their appointments were not confirmed.

“It is no gainsaying the fact that these commissioners are only acting illegally. They were illegal appointees of the former governor and it is high time they left in the interest of peace, constitutionality and due process of the law. Their principal has been removed and now, I think they are not needed. They are already surplus to requirements,” he said.

Describing the act of the acting speaker as an illegality, Honourable Kayode Babade, a former Majority Leader in the legislature during the administration of former Governor Ayo Fayose, said that Adeoti could not sack the commissioners and other political appointees.

Babade, currently the PDP secretary in the state, said, “He doesn’t have the power to do so. The commissioners are the appointees of the executive arm of government. The issue once came up and we told them that they don’t have the power as the law does not allow them to do so.

“Adeoti just wants to cause problems and chaos in the state. Only the acting governor has the power to make such a pronouncement and not the legislative body.”

Earlier in the day, the acting governor, Honourable Odeyemi, had declared that all government machinery in the state would remain intact, just as he said that the PDP would sweep the poll in the affected wards in the 10 council areas.

Odeyemi, who met with members of the State Executive Council at the Exco Chambers in the Governor’s Office, Ado Ekiti, said that his government would ensure continuity to ensure development in the state.

The Commissioner for Information and Civic Orientation, Honourable Odunayo Ategbero, who briefed newsmen after the exco meeting, said that apart from ensuring continuity in government, the present, administration would not do anything capable of paralysing government activities in the state.

He said that Honourable Odeyemi commended Oni’s administration in the last 20 months, adding that the state witnessed tremendous development during the short period.

The acting governor warned that the government would not tolerate any act capable of portraying the state in bad light.

While also addressing PDP supporters who paid him a solidarity visit, Honourable Odeyemi assured them that the re-run would be won overwhelmingly by the PDP, saying “We have done it before and we would do it again.”

Assuring them of his loyalty to the PDP, Honourable Odeyemi said, “If I was not in PDP, I won’t be a member of the House of Assembly; if I’m not in PDP, I won’t be the Speaker of the House of Assembly and today, if I’m not in PDP, I won’t be an acting governor.

“I urge you to go back to your various wards and work assiduously towards ensuring victory for the PDP and on my own part as a party man, I will do everything lawful that will support our victory during the election, which will come up in a few weeks. I, therefore, wish to congratulate you in advance.”

In his own comment, the state chairman of the PDP, Mr. Bola Olu Ojo, reiterated that victory was certain for the party in the election, adding that the election would further prove that PDP was in the majority in the state.

Also speaking, erstwhile deputy governor of the state, Dr. Sikiru Tae Lawal, said the state would remain in the mainstream party, stressing that those who were being sponsored with stolen money would not be allowed to be in the saddle.

“Ekiti people say no to people with ill-gotten wealth whose only interest is to build a political and business empire in the South West. They want to turn Ekiti into a cash cow to be milked dry, but we won’t allow them.”