There was confusion at the Ogun State House of Assembly, on Tuesday as some members-elect were prevented from entering the Assembly chambers following the abrupt postponement of the inauguration of the 10th Legislature.
Governor Dapo Abiodun had last Tuesday sent a letter to the House for the inauguration of the 10th Legislature of the Assembly slated for today (Tuesday), but the inauguration was postponed abruptly.
It was gathered that the postponement followed an unresolved battle against the candidate anointed as the Speaker by Governor Abiodun.
The outgoing Speaker, Olakunle Oluomo, running for re-election is embroiled in a stiff survival battle ahead of the Assembly’s inauguration.
Oluomo is currently in court for allegedly diverting N2.5 billion belonging to the Assembly.
An erstwhile Deputy Speaker of the House, Oludaisi Elemide, had joined the Speakership race and he is considered a major threat to Oluomo’s re-election.
It was reliably gathered on Tuesday that the inauguration was postponed till June 20 after a consensus could not be reached to return Abiodun’s anointed candidate as the Speaker.
It was further gathered that apart from the intra-party resistance to Oluomo’s re-election, members-elect of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) are equally not in agreement with the governor on his choice for the speaker.
Eight members-elect on the platform of PDP stormed the Assembly complex in Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta to express their grievances over the postponement.
A statement by the Clerk of the House, Deji Adeyemo, in the early hours of Tuesday confirmed the postponement of the inauguration.
The terse statement reads “Important Announcement. This is to inform you that the holding of the first session of the tenth Assembly of the Ogun State Legislature has been postponed to Tuesday, 20th June 2023.
“Any inconvenience caused by this announcement is regretted.”
Adeyemo was silent on the reason for the postponement of the inaugural session.
Miffed by the development, the eight members-elect of PDP stormed the assembly to protest against the postponement, saying there were not properly communicated.
New Telegraph reports that security was beefed up around the Assembly complex while PDP members-elect were allowed into the premises; they were however denied access to the Assembly chambers.
Speaking to with journalists at the entrance of the assembly complex, a member-elect, Olalekan Adeleye (PDP- Odogbolu), expressed shock over the postponement of the inauguration.
He warned against turning Ogun into Nasarawa State where Assembly’s leadership crisis was recorded last week.
Adeleye lamented that no letter was issued for the postponement but a WhatsApp message which not all members-elect were aware of.
His words: “We have a legitimate mandate from our constituents and we are supposed to be here and get inaugurated, but sadly we are being locked out and treated like common criminals.
“What is happening here this morning is strange. We are in high spirits yesterday, hoping that we will resume here at 9 am for our Inauguration.
“To our dismay, we are locked out and we started asking questions about what happened someone called my attention to a WhatsApp message purportedly sent by the Clerk of the House that the Inauguration has been postponed to June 20.
“If at all this is going to happen, there are appropriate ways of communication.
“The notice of this inauguration was sent via a proclamation letter written by the governor that the 10th assembly would start by June 13.
“And if there is going to be a postponement, such proclamation letter should be withdrawn followed by another proclamation letter conveying the new date,” he said.
The member-elect who spoke on behalf of the other eight PDP members-elect who were also on ground, added that the sudden postponement was not the best way to start the present legislature.
He said “There have been rumours that Ogun State wants to go the way of Nasarawa State. But that can’t be our own Ogun State. Ogun State is sophisticated and I am sure the governor, Dapo Abiodun, is a gentleman and he wouldn’t want to take us back to the old days.”
(New Telegraph)
