Ekiti Speakership: Aribisogan Heads To Court

Gboyega Aribisogan, recently impeached  speaker of the Ekiti State House of Assembly, has on Tuesday disclosed that he would challenge his impeachment in the court in the week.

Aribisogan argued that there was no due process in “the purported impeachment and suspension of seven members” saying the actions were “illegal, ultra vires, null and void and of no effect.

“The actions are not legally sustainable and will definitely be quashed at a court of competent jurisdiction”, he added.

Aribisogan was impeached on Monday after six days in office as speaker, and suspended indefinitely.

He added that he has already sued the police for “illegal occupation” of the Assembly complex for six days.

He said, “We are going to court; there is no doubt about that. We are still consulting with our lawyers. It cannot be later than this week. Any moment from now, we are filing our papers in court.

“We had filed an action against the police at the Federal High Court, Ado Ekiti, on Monday. It is about the illegal occupation of Ekiti State House of Assembly for six days; we have sued the police for that. The police illegally sealed the Assembly for six days. They have to explain to us with credible evidence.”

But the police, who said they were acting on an intelligence report of purported invasion of the House, sealed the Assembly complex since November 16.

Aribisogan was elected speaker on November 15 by 15 members of the 25-member Assembly.

On Monday, 17 members of the state assembly sat at a plenary presided over by the Deputy Speaker, Hakeem Jamiu, and impeached Aribisogan, accusing him of sabotaging the passage of the 2022 Supplementary Budget Bill.

However, the newly appointed speaker, Mrs Olubunmi Adelugba, on Tuesday, said the process that saw her emergence was peaceful, promising to always maintain allegiance to the people of the state.