Ekiti Speakership: Ex Gov Oni decries undue influence on selection process

Former governor of Ekiti state, Dr Olusegun Oni, on Tuesday, condemned the ongoing emasculation of the powers of the state house of Assembly in the choice of the officers and leaders of the legislative arm.

This was contained in a statement made available to newsmen in Abuja by the Chairman, Media Advisory Council of Segun Oni Campaign Organization, Mr Moses Jolayemi.

According to the statement, Dr Oni, who was the standard bearer of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) in the June, 2022 Governorship Election in the state, described the ongoing drama as “injurious to democracy and good governance a situation where ‘external factors’ are now breathing down on the Assembly who their leaders should be.”

The former governor maintained that the lawmakers should be allowed to choose their leaders without any undue influence by “godfathers” who appeared determined to run the affairs of the state as their personal fiefdom.

Speaking further on the shenanigans of the All Progressives Congress (APC) led state government and those remote-controlling it, Oni said “We are watching the worrying scenario and how it will play out”

It will be recalled that the former speaker of Ekiti state house of assembly, Funminiyi Afuye died last month following a reported case of cardiac arrest.

His death has, therefore, necessitated a change in the leadership of the state legislature.

But Oni, who is reputed to have granted the legislative arm its deserved autonomy while he held sway as governor, lamented the current situation where members are not allowed to choose their own leaders.

This reprehensible act, Oni said, sat well with the godfathers of the current APC governor, Mr Biodun Abayomi and ominous of what lies ahead of the state under the present leadership.

The State House of Assembly is engulfed in a leadership crisis in the aftermath of the death of its Speaker, Hon Funminiyi Afuye, who was laid to rest two weeks ago.

The House had elected Hon Olugboyega Aribisogan as its new speaker with 15 votes, defeating Hon Olubunmi Adelugba who was allegedly supported by the immediate past governor, Dr Kayode Fayemi.

Dissatisfied, lawmakers loyal to Fayemi precipitated conflict in the House which led the police to seal off the Assembly premises.

However, the same police in the morning, piloted seven legislators into the House where the new Speaker, Arubisogan, was removed, and Adelugba was installed as speaker.

As this was going on, the Aribisogan faction announced the suspension of seven Fayemi lawmakers, thereby creating two factions in the state’s House of Assembly.

Hon Aribisogan has, however, dismissed the action of the lawmaker and bowed that he remained the authentic Speaker of the Ekiti State House of Assembly.