Ekiti Assembly constitutes SIEC

Dapo Falade, Ado-Ekiti - 30.04.2008

THERE is no end in sight yet to the perennial problems bedeviling the Ekiti State House of Assembly as the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) caucus on the house controversially screened the nominees for the State Independent Electoral Commission (EKSIEC) in the wee hours of Tuesday morning.

While the Speaker of the Assembly, Honourable Femi Bamisile, insisted that the screening was constitutional and that the local government election in the state would go on as scheduled, the Action Congress (AC) lawmakers in the state said the screening exercise was unconstitutional, claiming that it was done without the required quorum.

In the meantime, the state government had endorsed the screening as the state deputy governor, Dr.Sikiru Lawal, at a forum with journalists in Ado-Ekiti on Tuesday said it would usher in good governance at the grassroots level.

The House was abruptly adjourned about one month ago following the furore generated over the issue as the AC lawmakers objected to the modalities adopted for the screening exercise.

The development then led to the handing over of the mace to the state Commissioner of Police, but was retrieved a few days later following the intervention of traditional rulers in the state.

However, the truce brokered between the two parties on Tuesday shattered as the Speaker led some PDP lawmakers into the chamber of the Assembly to screen three out of the seven names nominated for the SIEC job.

Addressing journalists shortly after the exercise, the DeputySpeaker, Mr. Adeoti Saliu, said that the PDP lawmakers, in connivance with the ruling party in the state was fast”turning the State of Fountain of Knowledge to a State of Fountain of Disaster”, as he claimed that there was no official information till 5.00 p.m the previous day to the effect that the legislators were going to screen the SIEC nominees.