Fayose Has Sealed My Office - Speaker Cries Out

The Speaker, Ekiti State House of Assembly, Dr. Adewale Omirin, said on Tuesday that Governor Ayodele Fayose has ordered his office to be sealed.

Dr Adewale Omirin,Speaker Ekiti State House of Assembly

The Speaker said this, following the action of 7 PDP members of Ekiti State House of Assembly who tried to change the leadership of the House, but only succeeded in approving the reconstitution of the local government caretaker committees and confirmation of the commissioner-nominees sent to the House of Assembly last week by the governor.

The Special Adviser on Media, Wole Olujobi, said the governor had earlier taken hostile steps, including freezing the accounts of the Assembly, cutting off power supply from the Speaker’s Lodge and stopping statutory votes for the Speaker’s upkeep and protocol to intimidate Omirin and have firm control of the House.


He added that, the governor dismissed the Speaker’s aides, including that of the Deputy Speaker and Majority Leader.

Olujobi stated that the Speaker’s official vehicles had been demobilized because their keys had been taken to the office of the governor, while his official drivers had been redeployed.
But Fayose had earlier declined his involvement in the impeachment of the Speaker.

The PDP lawmakers had mentioned the absence of the Speaker and his deputy, Taiwo Orisalade, gave reasons for the appointment of the Acting Speaker for the Monday’s business.
PDP has 7 members in the Assembly, 10 people attended the meeting on Monday including three whose identities remain unknown.

APC on Tuesday stated that only 7 members of the Assembly including 3 ‘fake’ legislators sat at the meeting when it required 9 members to form a quorum.

The party challenged the governor to name the 10 lawmakers that sat on in the meeting on Monday and provide the video recording of the proceeding.

The situation is starting to heat up in the state.
But Fayose’s Special Assistant on Information, Lanre Ogunsuyi, on Tuesday said the government would not allow the situation to degenerate into a crisis in the state.
Speaking to journalists in Ado-Ekiti, the state capital, Ogunsuyi said the Speaker had yet to brief the governor on the incident.

Maintaining innocence of the governor, he said Fayose had once saved the speaker from impeachment.

He said, “We are waiting to see if the Speaker was removed or not. But we know the Assembly is empowered to appoint a Speaker extempore. What happened yesterday (Monday) was an affair of the Assembly. He (Fayose) has no hand in it. He is not a beneficiary of any of the action.

“When they need us they will come to us. Up till now the Speaker has not come to the governor.”
Ogunsuyi, however, said what happened at the Assembly with the approval of the three commissioner nominees was in the interest of the state.

He said “We don’t expect the relationship to be very smooth because of the party differences. But honestly speaking, the Assembly is for the state. They have the right to reject a thing if it’s not in the interest of the state but they don’t have the right to reject a thing if it’s not in their party’s interest.
“Nobody should use the government platform to advance party’s interest.”

The governor’s aide also showed displeasure on the branding of the Ekiti people that went to witness the Assembly’s sitting as thugs.

He said, “My people should not be addressed as thugs anytime they take interest in the activities of government. They are no thugs. They were the people that voted and are interested in the government. Some of these people have their business under threat while some have their shops locked by the former government.”

Ogunsuyi also justified the sacking of the aides of the Speaker by the government.
According to him, the last administration made a law that the governor will appoint aides for the principal officer and Local Government chairmen.