Ekiti Assembly Speakership tussle: Aribisogan out, Adelugba in

The embattled Speaker of the Ekiti State House of Assembly, Gboyega Aribisogan, has been impeached.

Aribisogan, who represents Ikole Constituency I, was removed by 17 out of the 25 members of the Assembly on Monday at a sitting in the parliament house.

Armed policemen had stormed the premises of the Assembly in the early hours of Monday in an attempt to ensure no breakdown of law and order.

Following the impeachment, the lawmakers immediately elected Olubunmi Adelugba, who represents the Emure constituency, as new speaker of the Assembly.

The Assembly had been enmeshed in crisis following the death of former speaker Funminiyi Afuye, who died on October 19 at the State University Teaching Hospital.

His death was announced by the Ekiti State government, and was ruled as cardiac arrest.

Following Afuye’s death, the lawmakers held a parliamentary election and Mr Aribisogan, who is also a two-term lawmaker, was elected.

He had polled 15 against 10 votes scored by Adelugba during the in-house election

Several reports alleged that the immediate past governor, Kayode Fayemi, has been behind the crisis in the Assembly.

Fayemi was said to had been against the choice of Aribisogan as the speaker of the Assembly to take over after the demise of Mr Afuye.

Attempts to get the reactions of Yinka Oyebode, spokesperson for the government, proved abortive.

Several calls made to his official lines were not connecting as at the time of filing this report.



FI