The speaker of Ekiti State House of Assembly, Dr Adewale
Omirin, has reacted to the alleged directive by Governor Ayodele Fayose
urging the Ministry of Justice to write a memo authorising the
commissioner of police, Taiwo Lakanu, to arrest the 19 All Progressives
Congress (APC) lawmakers.
The APC lawmakers sat in a plenary last Friday in Ado-Ekiti.
Omirin in a statement by his special adviser on media, Wole Olujobi, said that the APC lawmakers acted within the law to conduct their sitting in a public building in the state capital.
“The governor or the police cannot arrest us for performing our constitutional duty. Section 101 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria makes it explicit that the House can regulate its activities, including conducting its sittings in public buildings in the state capital.
“The Supreme Court had also ruled that the House can conduct its sittings in public places in the state capital if conditions exist that endanger members in the conduct of their sittings.
“Governor Fayose has kept armed thugs permanently in the House of Assembly to attack us. We can’t put ourselves in harm’s way, yet we have a responsibility to our constituents to make laws for good governance. This is why we followed the law to sit to consider issues on the ongoing constitutional amendment.”
EKSU Stops APC Legislators From Using Facilities
Meanwhile, the management of Ekiti State University, Ado-Ekiti, has opposed the bid by the 19 APC lawmakers of the Ekiti State House of Assembly to conduct their plenary in the institution, saying no political meetings would be allowed on the premises.
The opposition lawmakers had at their plenary presided over by the embattled speaker, Dr Adewale Omirin, at a secret location in Ado-Ekiti on Friday, resolved to hold their sittings and conduct normal legislative business at the Faculty of Science of the university.
This followed a motion by the majority leader, Churchill Adedipe, to reconvene the Assembly at a public place within the state capital, outside the House of Assembly chambers for security reasons.
But in a statement issued by the registrar of EKSU, Mr Emmanuel Ogunyemi, the management of the university said no political meetings would be allowed on the premises.
Omirin explained that the House had a responsibility to respond to the National Assembly’s demand to send Ekiti State contributions to the constitutional amendment process.
“Ekiti State has just one House of Assembly. That is why the National Assembly acknowledged the receipt of our resolutions on the constitutional amendment.
“If they are sure of their status, let them approach the National Assembly or the Judiciary for recognition,” he added.
The speaker said it was regrettable that the governor had not learnt a lesson from his past experience when he instigated a constitutional crisis that led to the declaration of the state of emergency that culminated in the dismissal of his government in 2006.
The statement read, “The attention of the Management of Ekiti State University, Ado-Ekiti has been drawn to news reports by Print and Electronic media organizations over plans by the All Progressives Congress Lawmakers in the Ekiti State House Of Assembly to hold plenary meetings on the university campus,
“The University Management wishes to inform the general public that Ekiti State University premises is not open to political meetings and we state unequivocally that no legislative meeting was held on our campus has being speculated in some quarters and no such meetings would be allowed to hold in the university premises.
“The university is a community of teachers and scholars and Ekiti state university is committed to excellence in teaching, learning, and research and should not be joined with unnecessary political issues.”
The APC lawmakers sat in a plenary last Friday in Ado-Ekiti.
Omirin in a statement by his special adviser on media, Wole Olujobi, said that the APC lawmakers acted within the law to conduct their sitting in a public building in the state capital.
“The governor or the police cannot arrest us for performing our constitutional duty. Section 101 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria makes it explicit that the House can regulate its activities, including conducting its sittings in public buildings in the state capital.
“The Supreme Court had also ruled that the House can conduct its sittings in public places in the state capital if conditions exist that endanger members in the conduct of their sittings.
“Governor Fayose has kept armed thugs permanently in the House of Assembly to attack us. We can’t put ourselves in harm’s way, yet we have a responsibility to our constituents to make laws for good governance. This is why we followed the law to sit to consider issues on the ongoing constitutional amendment.”
EKSU Stops APC Legislators From Using Facilities
Meanwhile, the management of Ekiti State University, Ado-Ekiti, has opposed the bid by the 19 APC lawmakers of the Ekiti State House of Assembly to conduct their plenary in the institution, saying no political meetings would be allowed on the premises.
The opposition lawmakers had at their plenary presided over by the embattled speaker, Dr Adewale Omirin, at a secret location in Ado-Ekiti on Friday, resolved to hold their sittings and conduct normal legislative business at the Faculty of Science of the university.
This followed a motion by the majority leader, Churchill Adedipe, to reconvene the Assembly at a public place within the state capital, outside the House of Assembly chambers for security reasons.
But in a statement issued by the registrar of EKSU, Mr Emmanuel Ogunyemi, the management of the university said no political meetings would be allowed on the premises.
Omirin explained that the House had a responsibility to respond to the National Assembly’s demand to send Ekiti State contributions to the constitutional amendment process.
“Ekiti State has just one House of Assembly. That is why the National Assembly acknowledged the receipt of our resolutions on the constitutional amendment.
“If they are sure of their status, let them approach the National Assembly or the Judiciary for recognition,” he added.
The speaker said it was regrettable that the governor had not learnt a lesson from his past experience when he instigated a constitutional crisis that led to the declaration of the state of emergency that culminated in the dismissal of his government in 2006.
The statement read, “The attention of the Management of Ekiti State University, Ado-Ekiti has been drawn to news reports by Print and Electronic media organizations over plans by the All Progressives Congress Lawmakers in the Ekiti State House Of Assembly to hold plenary meetings on the university campus,
“The University Management wishes to inform the general public that Ekiti State University premises is not open to political meetings and we state unequivocally that no legislative meeting was held on our campus has being speculated in some quarters and no such meetings would be allowed to hold in the university premises.
“The university is a community of teachers and scholars and Ekiti state university is committed to excellence in teaching, learning, and research and should not be joined with unnecessary political issues.”
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