The former Governor of Ekiti State, Chief Segun Oni, has warned the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state from dragging his name into the crisis rocking the State Assembly that led to the election of two speakers in one week.
Recall that the State Assembly was enmeshed in crisis following the impeachment of Gboyega Aribisogan, who was until then, the Majority Leader of the House, by some lawmakers who elected his rival, Mrs Bunmi Adelugba, in subsequent election held at dawn at the chamber of the Assembly.
Oni said that though, the State Governor, Abiodun Oyebanji, had distanced his government from the publication, purportedly authored by the “Ekiti Development Agenda” dragging him into the Assembly crisis, by stating that the use of state logo of Ekiti State Government on that statement was not authorized by his government, there was need to probe the sponsors of the story.
He commended the Founder of Afe Babalola University, Chief Afe Babalola, Senior lawyers including Chief Wole Olanipekun, Femi Falana and four others who recently waded into the fiasco that followed the removal of the Speaker of the House of Assembly, Mr Gboyega Aribisogan by members of the House of Assembly.
Oni who spoke to newsmen yesterday in Ado Ekiti through the head of his legal team, Barrister Owoseni Ajayi, while reacting to the report linking him to the crisis rocking the state Assembly, said that the action of those who removed Aribisogan as duly elected Speaker has led to disorder and a clear breach of the constitution.
He noted that the traditional rulers to wade into the crisis were merely discharging their traditional duties of pacifying the aggrieved, saying that the legal issues concerning the impeachment remain. “They don’t have the locus to dabble into the legal issues surrounding the removal of Hon Aribisongan; the issue, to the best of my knowledge, is in court. The legality surrounding the installation of Adelugba is in court.”
“We will be sending a copy of this press statement to the Inspector General of Police and the Commissioner of Police in Ekiti State, since the Police in the state have been alleged to be participants or accessories in some of the criminal acts.
“We are particularly urging the IGP to investigate who authored this more so when the incumbent Governor has publicly dissociated himself from the authorship of the letter. This is more so when the statement bore the logo of Ekiti State Government.”
Meanwhile, the former Governor also urged the Ekiti State government to follow-up on the N680 million approved for the take off of the Ekiti Airport during President Goodluck Jonathan administration which was not followed up by Ex-governor Kayode Fayemi.
“There was no follow up, whereas, the government of Gombe, Bayelsa and others not only followed up, they utilized their own money and their airports are fully in operation now. What we are saying is that the government is a continuum and that N680 million is still somewhere. The governor should follow-up the money and make use of it to complete the airport.
“The cargo airport constructed by Fayemi is merely for political show. Have you seen any aircraft landed there since that time? Or have you seen anybody go there to board aircraft? Is there any arrangement in place for people to use the airport? So, that airport is not completed. It is not even up to 40% completed. So, the government should follow up and complete it. You know Ekiti is a landlocked state, with no access roads. Before you move to Akure Airport, the roads are very bad, so we need the airport,” he said.
