Adebayo Adenrele
The All Progressives Congress (APC), in Ekiti State has described the reactions of Legal Icons like Aare Afe Babalola, Chief Wole Olanipekun towards the impeachment of Gboyega Aribisogan as the Speaker of Ekiti Assembly as being tantamount to biase, prejudice and disregard of the party’s constitution.
APC made this statement to a report credited to the two legal icons and other five regarding to the recent developments in the Ekiti State House of Assembly.
They accused the Legal Icons of not taking action when seven members removed the former Speaker of the House, Rt. Hon. Adewale Omirin and his deputy, Rt. Hon Adetunji Orisalade in November 2014.
They equally recorded no case of solidarity from them when Rt. Hon Kola Oluwawole and his deputy, Sina Animasaun were removed as Speaker and Deputy Speaker in October, 2010 during the tenure of former governor Ayodele Fayose.
They also added that some of the Legal Icons took part in ensuring that Engr. Segun Oni, who came third, was foisted on his party, the PDP and the entire Ekiti State as Governor in 2007, which was ruled out and considered as a democratic fraud by Court of Appeal in Ilorin 2010.
APC stated that the neutrality Afe Babalola, and others is questionable, adding that their one-sided decision is a proverbial wicked act.
They thereby called on them to retract their comments and accord their judgement to fairness, equity and justice.
The statement read in part: “History does not favour the 7 wise men as having interfered in similar matters in the past and we wonder why now.
“That we specifically cannot remember what action was taken by any or all the seven legal legends when in November 2014, seven assembly members removed the then Speaker of the house, Rt. Hon. Adewale Omirin and his deputy, Rt. Hon. Adetunji Orisalade from office. None of those crying foul called the perpetrators to order then.
“That we also cannot remember whether or not any or all of them complained when in October 2018, days before the expiration of the tenure of the then Gov Ayodele Fayose Rt. Hon. Kola Oluwawole and his deputy, Sina Animasaun were removed as speaker and deputy speaker, respectively.
“That our memory hasn’t failed us regarding the role played by some of the 7 wise men in ensuring that Engr. Segun Oni, who came third, was foisted on his party, the PDP and the entire Ekiti State as Governor in 2007, only for the Court of Appeal in Ilorin to rule in 2010 that the action was a democratic fraud.
“That by and large, the neutrality of these wisemen is questionable, and we are questioning it. Having relied majorly on the version of just a party in a matter is described as the proverbial wicked act by elder(s) who judged based on one-sided narration.
“That it offends the rule of natural justice, equity and good conscience for them to have come to judgement on the statement of one party in what they referred to as a serious conflict capable of affecting the peace of the state they claimed to have loved so much.
“That our party, APC, takes responsibility for the actions of our members in the House, just as we protect the interest of the executives. We therefore will not pretend that the conduct of any of our partymen and women does not matter to us or won’t affect us as a ruling party.
“Peradventure the so called elders had made their comments without recourse to all the above facts, we would regard such comments as made in error and advice them to retract them in the spirit of fairness, equity and justice.”
