Six days after his election, the Speaker of Ekiti State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Gboyega Aribisogan has been sacked by members of the House.
In his place is the first female to emerge as Speaker of the House, Hon. Olubunmi Adelugba.
Aribisogan, who represents Ikole constituency 1, failed to win the ticket for a third term and will quit the House next June. He had replaced 66-year-old Rt. Hon. Funminiyi Afuye, who died last month after he reportedly suffered a cardiac arrest.
Seventeen out of the 25 members impeached Aribisogan on Monday.
The assembly complex was earlier sealed as members were embroiled in a controversy following the death of the leadership tussle.
Aribisogan had accused former Governor Kayode Fayemi of sponsoring some lawmakers to sack him.
On a Channels TV programme, Sunday Politics, Aribisogan alleged that the former governor was against his emergence because he was perceived as a betrayer.
He claimed that some lawmakers loyal to Fayemi had perfected plans to impeach him during plenary today.
Aribisogan had said: “When Fayemi called us to his residence and said he wanted us to support Hon. Adelugba, I stood up to say that could not be done by fiat or by imposition; that we had leaders that we had to consult and that we would get back to them. Ordinarily, we should be looking at the constitution and the standing order of the House”.
He said that he tried to reach Fayemi through a text message on Saturday night but failed. “Up till now, he has not done anything on it, but he has been calling our members to go and impeach me tomorrow (Monday). As I speak with you, seven of our members are locked up in a guest house in Ado Ekiti in cahoots with some of his former aides.
“They don’t want democratic processes to take place in the Assembly and these people are even with arms, saying they are going to assassinate the speaker and take over the place tomorrow (Monday) morning.
“Majority of the members of the Assembly voted for me, but a few of them, who felt that perhaps I did not follow the directive of the former governor of the state, felt that they would make the place ungovernable for my administration”.
He further said: “The Special Adviser on Political Matters to Governor Biodun Oyebanji assured that the government was looking into it and that there would be amicable resolution until about 24 hours ago when we began to see that some clandestine moves are being made to invade the House of Assembly on Monday morning.
“I want prominent people in Ekiti State like Aare Afe Babalola, Chief Wole Olanipekun and Femi Falana and all our traditional rulers to be on the lookout and save democracy in Ekiti State”.
The Special Adviser to the incumbent Governor on Media, Mr Yinka Oyebode, who spoke on the programme, ruled out chaos in the Assembly.
He said: “I will assure you there won’t be breakdown of law and order on Monday because the governor is in touch with all the warring factions to ensure that they reconcile amicably their differences. I believe that we have absolute confidence in the leadership of the House. They have been there for almost three and half years and it has been rancour-free”.
