•Lawmakers support Jonathan’s presidential ambition

THERE was a change of guard in the Ogun State House of Assembly yesterday as the political crisis, which has polarised the Assembly in the last two years, took a dramatic twist.

The Speaker, Samson Tunji Egbetokun, was impeached by a group of lawmakers over alleged gross misconduct.

The lawmakers promptly elected Emmanuel Soyemi Coker, representing Odeda State Constituency, as Egbetokun’s successor.

Also, the legislators reinstated two of their suspended colleagues, Mrs. Titi Oseni and Omosanya Solaja, as well as approved the N100 billion bond and N26 billion Supplementary Budget proposed by the executive arm but which were repeatedly rejected by the Egbetokun-headed leadership of the House.

Apart from impeaching Egbetokun, the lawmakers also suspended him indefinitely along with other lawmakers loyal to him.

They include Remmy Hazzan; Fasinu Michael Sewedo; Nosiru Femi Isiaka; Adiro Lukuman Olufemi; Adegboyega Adekunle; Odunjo Odunleye; Olusola Pelumi Adeboye; Akintan Job Olufemi; Fatoki Johnson Olu; Adeleye-Oladapo Tunrayo; Oshin Adetokunbo Babatunde; Alausa Hazzan Olawale; Salami Akeem and Abiodun M.A.O. Akovoyon.

To work with Coker are Ayo-Odugbesan Edwards, Deputy Speaker; Bankole Durotolu Oyebode, Majority Leader; Musa Maruf, Chief Whip; Abiodun Oluseyi Moses, Deputy Majority Leader and Adeleke Salmon, Deputy Chief Whip.

This development came barely 48 hours to the live television debate between the leadership of the House and the executive over the controversial bond.

The Nigerian Compass reliably gathered yesterday that Coker and his colleagues stormed the Assembly complex located in Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta as early as 7 a.m. with armed mobile policemen.

Their sitting, with the mace, reportedly lasted about 45 minutes. Visitors to the premises were allegedly barred from entry by stern-looking security operatives while the proceeding lasted.

The Nigerian Compass, however, learnt that a senior police officer later stormed the Assembly and queried why some police officers prevented access to the House.

In a swift reaction, the state Commissioner of Police, Alhaji Musa Daura, ruled out the complicity of the State Police Command in the removal of Egbetokun and election of new officers to run the affairs of the House.

Daura, who was said to have visited the Assembly premises earlier to assess the development, spoke through the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Mr. Muyiwa Adejobi.

The police boss, in a telephone interview, denied the claim that his command provided cover for the lawmakers to hold their meeting, stressing that the police were not biased but have rather been neutral.

Daura noted that the crisis among the lawmakers was political, adding that the police command should not be dragged into the matter.

He said: “It is a political issue within them. They should not drag the police into it. The policemen who were on ground at the House of Assembly Complex had been on ground since July 28, 2010, on the request forwarded to the Commissioner of Police by the Speaker, Tunji Egbetokun, that there was need for the command to beef up security to the Assembly.”

According to him, the mobile policemen at the House were the eight officers earlier deployed by the police commissioner to ensure security at the House on the request of the ousted Speaker.

“Since they have been on ground, there was no complaint; whatever happened in the inner chamber of the House was unknown to the Police. We had a rumour that some people went into the chamber to have a meeting and the outcome of the meeting was unknown to the Police. No official statement issued to the Police as regards the rumour on ground,” he added.

The new Assembly leadership was scheduled to hold a press conference at the Iwe Iroyin Press Centre of the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ), Abeokuta at 12 noon but the event was later called off.

No official reason was given for the cancellation of the press conference.

But in a statement issued shortly after, Coker explained why the lawmakers resorted to the decision, saying it was “necessitated by the cry of our various constituents to bail out Ogun State from the lingering crisis that has beset us for the last two to three years.”

The statement, endorsed by other lawmakers in the group, partly reads: “It is a matter for regret that Ogun State, which had hitherto been in the forefront in virtually all spheres of human endeavour since the creation of the state and especially since the emergence of Governor Gbenga Daniel as governor of the state in 2003, has suddenly been thrown into confusion, through the unpatriotic acts of a section of the honorable House of Assembly.

“This situation has threatened the socio-economic and health situation of the citizenry of Ogun. This situation calls for bold action to ensure the people of Ogun State continue to enjoy dividends of democracy.”

Coker lamented that the actions and inactions of the Egbetokun-led House had foisted some unpleasant consequences on the people of the state.

These, according to him, included the inability of the state to pay the WAEC fees and bursaries of Ogun State students; refusal of the House to approve the N2 billion housing grant for civil servants and other categories of workers; non-cooperative attitude of the House towards ensuring the fixing of deplorable roads; impending loss of N1 billion federal grant for farmers due to the lawmakers’ refusal to assent farmers’ request; and impending labour unrest owing to refusal to approve “the financial engineering proposed by the executive.”

He also said the lawmakers “are in support of the presidential ambition of Dr. Goodluck Jonathan in the 2011 elections”.

“The House resolved to support the ambition of President Ebele Goodluck Jonathan by 2011. After careful observation of the political situation in the country, he is the best and shall be supported by all.”

But, Egbetokun described the action of the Coker-led lawmakers as illegal and insisted that he remained the Speaker.

In a telephone chat with reporters in Abeokuta, he accused the lawmakers of trying to scuttle the scheduled live television debate on the N100 billion bond being sought by the state to finance key developmental projects.

His words: “They are just wasting their time. They are acting under a spell, and even if they are, they cannot remove me. The move was to scuttle the on-coming debate between us and the government over the N100 billion bond issue.

“The governor did not know that we will go for the debate. The Commissioner for Finance is on the run, the Accountant-General is nowhere to be found. This will open the eyes of the people.”

Reacting to the impeachment, Governor Gbenga Daniel said it was an answer to the fervent prayers of the indigenes, noting that it was particularly instructive that it happened during the holy month of Ramadan.

The governor, in his first official reaction, said it was God that intervened in the matter to ensure victory for the people of the state.

The governor made these remarks, while addressing hundreds of party supporters from Remo North Local Government area, who paid him a solidarity visit, at the Government House, Abeokuta, over the development.

He expressed gratitude to them for the visit, stressing that it was especially gratifying to him that they could mobilise so quickly without any prompting or invitation to come and show him their love and support.

He, however, cautioned them against viewing the suspended members as enemies, because they were still bonafide members of the PDP in the state, who have only allowed themselves to be misled by the devil.

His words: “I do not have much to say, because the situation is clear to everyone. As you are all aware, we are in the holy month of Ramadan. So, what has happened was a manifestation of the prayers of all of you, especially during this period. God, who has answered our prayers, will not leave us alone at this stage. But, I want all of you to know that these people we are talking about are still our people. It was the devil that tried to divide us. God has won victory for us and the victory shall endure by His grace.”

Also, the Chairman of Remo North Local Government, who also doubles as the chairman of the state chapter of Association of Local Government of Nigeria (ALGON), John Obafemi, his counterparts from Ogun Waterside Local Government, Otunba Tayo Ajayi, Abeokuta North Local Government, Abeeb Ajayi and Ifo Local Government, Sikirulai Ogundele, were among those that reacted to the development, in separate interviews, yesterday, in Abeokuta.

Obafemi described it as “the triumph of light over darkness and a manifestation of the genuine desires of the indigenes”.

He said: “Glory be to God. It is the wish of the people that has manifested. We have begged these people, but when they did not yield, we committed them to the hand of God and now, God has taken control. Darkness is now over in Ogun State.

Ajayi said: “The crisis, which the state had been thrown into in the last one year, has finally come to an end .” He expressed optimism that the state, under the new house leadership, would witness tremendous development within the next couple of months.

On his part, the chairman of Abeokuta North local government said all indigenes of the state would be happy with the development.

“We have been at a standstill for two years. But with this change, we believe that the much-needed progress will be achieved. Our people deserve so much. I hope the new leadership will settle down to work immediately,” he added.

Ogundele believed the development would make the state “peaceful and progressive,” while “dividends of democracy will continue to flow to all and sundry.”

He added that the “new leadership has taken the right steps by passing the supplementary budget and allowing the state government to source fund from the bond market.” `

Meanwhile, the state PDP has hailed Egbetokun’s removal.

Also, the National Coordinator of the Oodua Peoples Congress (OPC), Otunba Gani Adams, supported the decision of the lawmakers to effect a change in leadership and expressed optimism that the development would bring about prompt delivery of dividends of democracy.

In a statement signed by the state Publicity Secretary, Deji Kalejaiye, the PDP, however, charged the new leadership “to discharge its duties in accordance with the guiding principles of the House and the interest of the state at heart.”

“The party was reliably informed of the House decision at its sitting of today (yesterday) to impeach the erstwhile leadership of the House on the allegation of gross misconduct against the House of Assembly, government of Ogun State and the good people of the state. We wish the new Speaker and his leadership team a successful tenure of office,” he added.

Adams, in a statement, said good governance and dividends of democracy “can only be achieved by the degree of cooperation and coordination between the sub-systems in government, which include the executive, the legislative arm, the judiciary and even, the people being governed.”

His words: “An African proverb says that when the shadow of a tree is bent and you want to straighten it, you go for the tree and not the shadow.

“We congratulate the members of the Ogun State House of Assembly for carrying out their legislative duties proficiently, efficiently and effectively: especially in answering promptly to the crying of the good people of Ogun State for more developmental projects as a dividend of democracy.

“It is our belief that this singular legislative action of the State House of Assembly will lead to smooth running of affairs of government, in government’s effort to bring more dividends of democracy to the people.”

In their separate reactions, the chairmen of Imeko-Afon and Obafemi-Owode local government areas, Albert Ashipa and BabatundeAdesina, respectively, described it as a welcome development.

Asipa said: “The change in the leadership in the House ofAssembly was a child of necessity made positively by Providence.”

Adesina said: “I am particularly relieved of the shame and disgrace brought to me by Egbetokun.”

By Kunle Olayeni & Remi Ladigbolu, Abeokuta

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