Ekiti APC House Members Move Sittings To University Campus,Suspends 7 PDP Members

The war of attrition in the Ekiti State House of Assembly took a new twist Friday as the nineteen All Progressives Congress (APC) members held a plenary sitting in Ado-Ekiti, the state capital and suspended factional Speaker, Dele Olugbemi and the six Peoples Democratic Party lawmakers in the Assembly.
At the sitting presided over by the embattled Speaker, Dr. Adewale Omirin, the lawmakers also nullified all legislative activities purportedly carried out by the PDP caucus including the receipt and consideration of the 2015 Appropriation Bill.
However, Olugbemi declined to comment on his suspension and that of the PDP lawmakers rebuffing all efforts by the Journalists to react of the matter.
The lawmakers also resolved to relocate the sittings of the House to the campus of the Ekiti State University (EKSU), citing the “situation of the state” in the last one month and the taking over of the Assembly complex by thugs and miscreants “who have been mobilized to kill and destroy”.
The lawmakers also voted in favour of the local government autonomy and constitutional amendment giving autonomy to the House of Assembly.
Other constitutional amendments that received the legislative approval of the lawmakers are Section 8 of the Constitution, which confers citizenship rights and privileges on Nigerians anywhere they are living in the country.
They also approved autonomy for the offices of Account General and Auditor General of the state as part of constitution amendment exercise.
The House resolutions on the autonomy for local government, autonomy for the House of Assembly, autonomy for the offices of Accountant General and Auditor General were forwarded to the National Assembly as the contributions of the Ekiti legislature to the Constitution amendment exercise.
All the nineteen APC legislators were present with the mace of the House at the proceedings.
Olugbemi and the six lawmakers who are members of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) had purportedly “impeached” Omirin on November 20 and received the 2015 budget estimate from Governor Ayo Fayose on Monday, December 15.
The second matter on the Order Paper was the suspension of the seven PDP lawmakers who “impeached” the Speaker and “elected” Olugbemi.
Adedipe (Irepodun/Ifelodun 1), who moved the motion, said the House had witnessed drama in the last one month with the seven PDP lawmakers violating the provisions of the 1999 Constitution and the House Standing Order by several illegal actions carried out.
He argued that the purported impeachment of Omirin, the “election” of Olugbemi and the “change” of leadership portrayed the House in bad light hence the need to suspend the seven lawmakers to save the integrity of the Assembly.
The Majority Leader alleged that the seven lawmakers gave false information to the public by accusing the 19 APC legislators of receiving bribes to impeach Fayose from office maintaining that the House has no intention to remove the governor.
The motion to suspend the PDP legislators was seconded by Mrs. Omowumi Ogunlola (Ijero Constituency). They were suspended for violating Section 96 (1) of the Constitution.
Those suspended include Olugbemi, (Ikole 2) Mrs. Abeni Olayinka (Ado 2), Mr. Adeyinka Adeloye (Ikole 1), Mr. Alexander Adeojo (Ekiti Southwest 2), Mr. Olowo Ajiboye (Oye 2) Mr. Dele Ajibola (Ekiti East 2) and Mrs. Ayo Olajide-Fatunbi (Moba 2) for violating Section 96 (1) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
The APC legislators also resolved that, “the unconstitutional and illegal sittings conducted by the above-named honourable members are hereby declared illegal, null and void and of no effect with an attendant nullification of same forthwith”.