From WOLE BALOGUN, Ado-Ekiti
Lawmakers suspended by the Ekiti State House or Assembly, have floored the House in a court ruling which not only reinstated them but also ordered payment of arrears of a year.
The court described the action by the state’s Assembly on the suspension and stoppage of salaries and emoluments of the lawmakers as egregious, indecorous, unbecoming and clearly out of order.
In its ruling on Friday, the court declared that the Assembly erred in law when a factional meeting of October 11, 2018, suspended some honourable members and described it as anomalous, defective, unseemly, out of place, wicked and outright abuse of power.
The Court also declared the purported impeachment of the Speaker, Rt Hon Kola Oluwawole and the Deputy Rt Hon Adesina Animasaun as Void, baseless and a nullity thereby declaring the purported speakership of Hon Adeniran Ebenezer Alagbada (Ise) and his team of principal officers as unknown to law and therefore non existent in the history of Ekiti State.
In a release on Friday, the Chairman of the 5th Ekiti State House of Assembly Committee on Information, Dr Samuel Omotoso listed the affected “EKHA 6” as; the leader of the House;
Hon Tunji Akinyele ( Oye 2, the Deputy Whip; Hon Ekundayo Akinleye (Ijero), Hon Olusanya Aladeyelu (Irepodun- Ifelodun 2),
Hon Olawale Onigiobi ( Ekiti South West 1), Hon Ayodele Fajemilehin ( Gbonyin) and Hon Dr Samuel Omotoso (Oye 1).
It will be recalled that the “EKHA 6” are the last Honourable members standing with the former Governor of Ekiti State, Dr Ayodele Fayose after the remaining 19 either defected to the APC at the twilight of their stay in office or betrayed their party PDP with an unholy alliance with the APC due to several inducements.
Dr Omotoso stated further that the injustice meted to the “EKHA 6” through their illegal suspension and the non payments of their salaries and allowances led them to approach the State High Court, seeking for equity and justice and hence described the judgement as a great relief from all unmerited pains and unjust dislocations of the honourable members and hence a positive development.
He therefore believes that Dr Kayode Fayemi being a custodian and a product of the rule of law will abide and respect the court judgement and pay the outstanding salaries and allowances as ordered by the court without further delay.
He said that the emoluments of all honourable members are statutorily recognised under the rule of law since the position of an elected Lawmaker is tenured under the 1999 Constitution as amended and thus cannot be wished away.
He also appreciated the judiciary for standing firm as truly the bastion of all democracies in the world.
The former Chairman of the House Committee on information also commended his last standing colleagues, describing them as men of integrity, courage and faithfulness whose unblemished names and records in reliability and loyalty to a worthy cause will go down in history of Ekiti State as a memorable reference.
Lastly, he advised all State Governors to recognize the Legislature as a distinct arm of government as enshrined in the Constitution and hence desist from all onslaught, political harassment and economic intimidation of State Legislators.
