Impeachment: Ekiti Speaker drags PDP lawmakers to court

The embattled Speaker of the Ekiti State Assembly, Dr. Adewale Omirin, and his deputy, Tunji Orisalade, have approached an Abuja Federal High Court for the restoration of all their rights and privileges.

The duo were impeached on Thursday by 10 persons who sat in the chambers, among whom were three individuals whose identities have remained unknown.

A member of the Peoples Democratic Party’s caucus, Mr. Dele Olugbemi, who had acted as pro tem Speaker during the controversial Monday’s plenary was elected as the new Speaker.



The lawmakers replaced Orisalade with a female lawmaker who recently defected from the APC to the PDP, Mrs. Abeni Olayinka, representing Ado Constituency 2.

The APC have branded the three as “fake legislators and impersonators,” challenging the seven PDP lawmakers to unveil their identities.

In the originating summons with suit no FHC/ Abj/Cs/885/14 filed on Thursday at the Federal High Court, Abuja, the plaintiffs presented 12 prayers before the court.

The originating summons is supported with a 14-paragraph affidavit deposed to by Mr. Patrick Bisong, a litigation clerk in the chambers of Tunji Abayomi and Co.

Omirin and Orisalade also filed an interlocutory application in which they are seeking a mandatory order directing the defendants to immediately open their offices and restore any and all aides and benefits to them pending the determination of the suit.

The motion was filed pursuant to Order 26 Rules 1, 2 and 3 and Order 28(1) of the Federal High Court Civil Procedure Rules, 2009 and under the inherent powers of the court.

The defendants are Governor Ayodele Fayose, the Inspector General of Police, the Nigeria Police Force and the Ekiti State House of Assembly.

The PDP’s lawmakers in the Assembly had on Monday appointed Olugbemi as pro tem Speaker to preside over the plenary.

The PDP lawmakers cited the absence of the Speaker and his deputy as reasons for the appointment of the Acting Speaker for the day’s business.

Although the PDP has seven members in the Assembly, 10 persons attended the plenary on Monday including three whose identities were concealed.

The plenary on that day approved three commissioner nominees and caretaker committees for the 16 Local Government Areas, and as well granted power to the governor to appoint 16 special advisers.

But the APC lawmakers maintained that only seven members of the Assembly who were mainly PDP members sat at the plenary when it required nine members to form a quorum.

Culled from Punch