Akeredolu should stay out of Ondo Assembly crisis – Majority Leader

Otunba Friday Olumide Araoyinbo is the Majority Leader of the Ondo State House of Assembly. He hails from Irun Akoko and represents Akoko Northwest Constituency II in the assembly. The politician, who fled the state during the week with 17 of his colleagues following alleged attempt on their lives over the impeachment of the former Speaker and Deputy Speaker of the Assembly, says it is true that the lives of the lawmakers that supported the impeachment of erstwhile Speaker, Bamidele Oleyelogun, and his deputy, are in danger. Speaking to Assistant Editor, Dare Odufowokan, from his hideout last Thursday, Araoyinbo said there is no going back on the impeachment and warned the public against dealing with the deposed Speaker and his deputy. Excerpts

What is the situation in Ondo State House of Assembly as at today following the change in its leadership by the members?

As far as we are concerned, I mean we, the majority members, about 18 of us, including the Speaker, Deputy Speaker and of course myself, the Majority Leader, the House is not sitting. Like you must have heard, we had to run for our dear lives following incessant threats to our lives. So, whatever is being done by a couple of our colleagues under the leadership of the sacked leadership is illegal.

In fact, it has come to our attention that the impeached Speaker of the Ondo State House of Assembly will be passing what is unconstitutionally known as a re-ordered budget today.  We wish to state that the request for the passage of this bill is one of the major reasons why we chose to remove and suspend the former leadership of the House on Friday, 9th November, 2018.

Rt. Hon. Oleyeloogun had informed us that the governor was desirous of passing the bill into law as quickly as possible under a procedure unknown to our Standing Rules, indeed, unknown to any known law of our state or Nigeria. By this Bill, the government seeks to cover the many shady and unappropriated approvals and spending which are in excess of what is authorized by the budget.

In the instant case, there are so many cases of moving funds from one head of expenditure to fund another head to the detriment of the expectations of our dear people of Ondo State and there are so many cases of unjustified spending, particularly under some ministries that are under the purview of persons who are dear to the heart of the governor.

There are many curious and inexplicable expenditure particularly under the government House and Protocols while important heads of expenditure specifically designed to ameliorate one hardship or the other for our people would have their allotted funds moved into heads that are only important to Mr. Governor and his hangers- on.

Oleyeloogun acting in cahoots with the Governor and some other House leaders insisted that we could not ask for the Year’s Budget Performance and could definitely not hold a Public Hearing even to enquire from affected ministries why they chose to either overspend or the Budget or Finance Commissioners why they condoned so much illegality by allowing virements ab initio.

Before we removed the Speaker and his deputy, they came to inform us that the Governor is willing to give us some amount of money so that we look the other way and allow them to find whatever means to cover up the anomalies in the finances of the state. In fact, they wanted to just generate some papers to make it appear as if the bill had gone through a normal process.  We refused and demanded that the right thing must be done.

But with the House on recess as you claimed, how would such a bill be passed?

The current crisis rocking the Ondo State House of Assembly is a struggle between democracy and dictatorship. Contrary to what these people are saying, there is nothing personal for us in the ongoing issue. Our position is largely that the right things should be done in the greater interest of the greater number of the good people of Ondo State.

We have been made to know that the governor has compelled the Staff of the House of Assembly, whose lives have been in danger too following the invasion of the complex by thugs he unleashed on all of us, to come to work and ensure that the impeached speaker and his fellow companions, in spite of not forming a quorum, sit and pass this illegal contraption of a bill into law.

Determined to have their way after unleashing violence on elected lawmakers who could have protected the interest of the people at a time like this, we want the general public to know that a bill of such importance was moved from the first to the second readings and committed to the Committee in one single sitting on Monday and is ready to be passed into Law only three days later. How thorough could they have been?

Funny enough, this unacceptable and illegal attempt to pass the bill into law is even far better than what the practice was under impeached Speaker Oleyeloogun. In what became known as the “Oku-Oru” style, bills are passed without any legislative process and resolutions are given clandestinely by the leadership of the House for the use of Governor Akeredolu. It was that bad.

Please not that our law provides that financial bills shall be passed by only two thirds majority of members of the House. Any financial bill that does not enjoy this consent must of necessity be null and void.

But the erstwhile Speaker and his deputy are saying they remain in office as their alleged removal remains null and void. What have you to say to this?

We want Nigerians to know that the impeachment exercise carried out by 18 members of the Assembly remains irreversible despite all efforts to intimidate us. We have written to the Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim  Idris; we appeal to him to take our petition seriously and take measures for the protection of lives and property against hoodlums to avoid chaos in the town.

We acted within our rights as members of the Assembly who are in the majority. Oloyelogun and Iroju were impeached over established evidences of gross misconduct, financial recklessness, abuse of power and incompetence levelled against them by members of the Assembly. And we elected new leaders in Hon. Olamide George and Hon. Faloju Abimbola, who were sworn-in as the new Speaker and Deputy Speaker respectively.

The impeachment was an in-house exercise which has constitutional backing. And speaking truthfully, it was not targeted at anyone. Oloyelogun and Iroju were not only impeached by 18 out of the 26 members of the Assembly but also suspended. So, it is a concluded issue that is irreversible. The two lawmakers who claimed that their signatures were forged are not saying the truth, having been induced with monetary benefits.

We have called on President Muhammadu Buhari to wade into the matter towards restoring law and order back to the state as it could affect the party’s chances during the coming general election. One other thing that is certain is that we will never allow ourselves to be used as appendages of the executive to the detriment of the people who elected us to protect their interests.

What we have done is a change of leadership within the Assembly upon the realisation that the former Speaker and his Deputy were not competent to lead us. To those saying we are being used by whoever; I want them to have a rethink and tell us if it is not part of our legislative duty to protect the interest of our people. If by insisting that proper processes be followed in the spending of the monies of the state, we are being used, I think it is the people of Ondo State who are using us.

For the avoidance of doubt, 18 members signed for their removal, which is two-third of the members of the House, so we have fulfilled that requirement. There are many reasons for their removal, but I want you to know that changing leadership is an inherent right of the members of the house. And it is out of place for the executive to interfere in the matters of the legislature with the intention of subverting the will of the majority.

If you were elected by members, if they say they no longer want you, then you comply. We have never seen that kind of leadership that does not have regard for the members. There are lots of other things we will address the press in due course. But the House has carried out its constitutional role. We don’t have any problem with the governor; we don’t have any problem with the executive. The executive should stay out of this.

How serious is the reported threat to your lives and do you think you need to be in hiding while the other faction continues sitting?

It is very serious. You may not understand because you are not in our shoes today. That is why we want President Buhari to rescue us from the reign of terror in the state. Since Friday, our family members are being threatened over the impeachment. We are elected lawmakers and we understand the importance of being free to attend to the duties for which we are elected. But our safety is threatened as we speak.

Don’t forget that the impeached Speaker led to the Assembly by Gbenga Adeyanju, the State Commissioner of Police, Ade Adetimehin, State APC Chairman, Jacob Adebo, State Chairman, NURTW, about 50 heavily armed officers and thugs, invaded the Assembly and assaulted honourable members, assembly staff, journalists and visitors to the Assembly complex on the day they were impeached.

There are video and pictorial documentations of the ‘vandalisation’ of cars and properties worth several millions of naira by thugs under the supervision of Adeyanju. The security situation in Ondo today needs the attention of higher authorities. That is why we called on Inspector General of Police to immediately redeploy the Commissioner of Police, Adeyanju, from the state.

It is on record too that 18 out of the 26 lawmakers, which represented two-third carried out the impeachment. We have the 18 names and signatures of members who impeached the Speaker and the Deputy Speaker. A former Speaker of the Assembly, Olajumoke Akindele, was assaulted in the mayhem unleashed on the Assembly. We have equally appealed to Governor Akeredolu to allow the legislative arm of government function independently without interference.