Ekiti Assembly Crisis: Aribisogan Condemns ‘Unlawful’ Impeachment
The impeached Speaker of the Ekiti State House of Assembly, Olugboyega Aribisogan, on Monday condemned what he described as his unlawful impeachment.
Earlier in the day, Aribisogan was sacked as Speaker by 17 out of the 25 members of the House who also suspended him. The lawmakers also elected Olubunmi Adelugba, the lawmaker representing Emure Constituency as the new Speaker.
Shortly after his impeachment, Aribisogan said the “members present at the unlawful assembly did not meet the statutory number of 17 which the House Rules state can impeach a Speaker.”
In a statement he personally signed, the former Speaker said the “purported impeachment of Mr. Speaker and suspension of seven members is illegal, ultra vires, null and void and of no effect.”
According to him, the actions are not legally sustainable and would definitely be quashed by a court of competent jurisdiction.
See the full statement issued by the former Speaker below:
RE: PURPORTED IMPEACHMENT OF THE SPEAKER OF THE EKITI STATE HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY AND SUSPENSION OF SEVEN HONOURABLE MEMBERS
The Principal Officers of the Ekiti State House of Assembly led by Rt. Hon. Olugboyega Aribisogan, hereby condemn in the strongest possible terms, the illegal invasion of the House of Assembly Chambers by seven disgruntled members at the unparliamentary hour of 6.00am, today 21st November, 2022. Ekiti people are aware that the House of Assembly adjourned sitting sine die after the election of Rt. Hon. Aribisogan as Speaker on 15th November, 2022. Our people are also aware that a detachment of armed policemen took over the premises of the Assembly Complex since the early hours of Wednesday, 16th November thereby preventing the legislature from undertaking its constitutionally prescribed duties.
This morning, seven disgruntled members of the House were shepherded into the Assembly Chamber by the policemen for a session that can only be described as an unlawful gathering and definitely not a plenary sitting because, the gathering was not convened in accordance with Order V, Rule 18 (1) of the House Rules. In view of the fact that the presence of the members in the Chamber was in contradiction of the House Rules, the purported impeachment of Mr. Speaker and suspension of seven members is illegal, ultra vires, null and void and of no effect. The actions are not legally sustainable and would definitely be quashed be a court of competent jurisdiction.
Ekiti people and the general public are invited to note that Order II, Rule 9 of the House Rules clearly prescribes that before the Speaker can be removed from office, he must be served with a formal notice of allegations and given a period of 72 hours to respond. The Rules further state that such response will be reviewed by an Adhoc Committee set up by the House for that purpose before a vote on impeachment of the Speaker can be taken on the floor of the House. The unlawful assembly of today was so stepped in illegality that the disgruntled members did not care to pretend to comply with these Rules in carrying out the purported impeachment of the Speaker. It should also be noted that the members present at the unlawful assembly did not meet the statutory number of
seventeen which the House Rules state can impeach a Speaker. If the disgruntled members dispute this fact, they should ask provide the video recordings of today’s sham proceedings.
In view of the foregoing, we hereby call on the Government and people of Ekiti State and all constituted authorities to note that Rt. Hon. Olugboyega Aribisogan remains the Speaker of the Ekiti State House of Assembly. While we urge Ekiti people to be watchful, they should remain calm in the face of the gross subversion of democratic principles which took place in the House of Assembly today. We remain confident that justice and the rule of law will prevail.
Rt. Hon. Olugboyega Aribisogan
Speaker, Ekiti State House of Assembly
