ADO EKITI, Federal Republic of Nigeria. The 19 All Progressives Congress (APC) lawmakers in the Ekiti State House of Assembly have lost out in their bid to impeach the state Governor, Ayodele Fayose, following the expiration of their tenure on June 4 in compliance with the 1999 Constitution.
To this end, a new assembly would be inaugurated today.
The fourth assembly, which was statutorily due for inauguration on June 4, began legislative duty on June 6, 2011, when it was proclaimed by the former state Governor, Kayode Fayemi.
The state had been embroiled in crisis and witnessed serious anxiety since Monday sequel to the widespread rumour that the lawmakers , led by Speaker Adewale Omirin were allegedly planning to invade the state and commence an impeachment process against the governor.
To stave off the impeachment hammer, the members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) had blocked all the entry points to the state and prevented free flow of human and vehicular movement into the state.
The lawmakers had in April 4, 2015, issued a notice of impeachment to Fayose, citing cases of gross misconduct and flagrant abuse of office against him.
Fayose, who could not hide his joy Thursday following the expiration of the tenure of the lawmakers, had in a statewide broadcast on Broadcasting Service of Ekiti State, said reprieve had come for his government following the exit of the 19 APC lawmakers from the assembly.
The governor thanked the commercial drivers and motorcyclists, members of his party, market men and women and other prominent citizens of the state for their unflinching supports.
“In view of my travail in the hands of the outgone lawmakers, reprieve has now come to my government and I can now feel like a governor.
“By tomorrow (today), June 5, I shall be embarking on a town procession in Ado Ekiti to thank my people for their supports. I want you to meet me at Fajuyi Park where I am going to commence the procession and move round to give glory to God and humanity,” Fayose stated.
Immediate past Minister of State for Works, Prince Dayo Adeyeye, frowned at the way and manner impeachment had been turned to an instrument of harassment and settlement of political scores by the legislative arm of government in the country, calling on the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Mahmud Muhammed, to prevail upon Chief Judges (CJ) of the states to stop aiding illegal impeachments.
Adeyeye, noted that in a decent society where everyone was sure that the Chief Judge of the state would not participate in an impeachment process in which due process of the law was not followed, the lawmakers would not have been so desperate to carry out the impeachment of Fayose and his deputy, Dr. Kolapo Olusola, in four days.
The PDP Speaker in the assembly, Hon. Dele Olugbemi, said his emergence in the assembly was thrown up by the challenge posed to the state to have men that could act valiantly and save the state from ruin being planned by members of the opposition lawmakers.
Olugbemi, in his valedictory statement, said the last four years had been eventful, thanking the people for standing by them to be able to curtail the onslaught against Fayose and the electorate.
Meanwhile, a Federal High Court in Abuja will this morning deliver ruling on whether to transfer the suit seeking to stop the impeachment of Fayose to the state or not.
The PDP lawmakers in the state had through their counsel, Ahmed Raji (SAN), approached the court seeking an order of court to declare the seats of the 19 APC lawmakers vacant.
They also asked the court to declare illegal all the actions taken by the APC lawmakers from November 21, 2014 till date, including the purported commencement of impeachment proceeding and notice alleging misconduct against Fayose and his deputy, Eleka.
The suit numbered FHC/ABJ/CS/361/15 was filed by Dele Olugbemi and six other PDP lawmakers.
When the matter came up on Thursday, counsel to the plaintiffs prayed the court to transfer the case to the Federal High Court, Ekiti division for the continuation of hearing.
However, counsel to the defendants, Terence Vember, had opposed the application, insisting that the court lacked jurisdiction to entertain the suit in the first place.
He submitted that the court ought to determine the issue of jurisdiction before any other issue.
The trial judge, Justice Evoh Chukwu however fixed today for ruling in the matter.
In the suit, the plaintiffs are seeking an order declaring the seats of 19 lawmakers vacant having abdicated their functions since November 21, 2014 and also an order restraining the police from aiding, abetting or assisting the lawmakers from carrying out any illegal act.
Speaking after the court session, Raji said by evening of today, the matter will become an academic exercise as another assembly would have been constituted.
Vember however, stated that the court is expected to deliver ruling irrespective of what happened to the present assembly.
Credit: ThisDay
