Ekiti Assembly rejects Governor Fayose’s list of Chairmen and Commissioners

The Ekiti State House of Assembly on Tuesday refused to deliberate on the motion seeking approval for the constitution of local government caretaker committees’ chairmen and members.

The assembly said the request by Governor Ayodele Fayose was sub judice as the sacked caretaker chairmen of the 16 Local Government Areas and 19 Local Council Development Areas had gone to court to challenge their dissolution.

The 35 caretaker chairmen were sworn in on August 5 by the immediate past Governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi. But Fayose, on assumption of office dissolved them on October 18.

The assembly also refused to consider the list of commissioner nominees submitted for screening by the governor because it was not included in the Tuesday’s Order Paper.

It, however, granted approval to the state to access N2bn out of the N220bn Small, Micro and Medium Enterprises’ Development Fund of the Central Bank of Nigeria.

The assembly said accessing the loan would bring about development to the state’s economy.

The motion moved by the Majority Leader, Churchill Adedipe, and seconded by Mr. Tope Agidi, was unanimously approved by the members present.

The Chairman, House Committee on Legal Matters and Local Government Affairs, Mr. Adedeji Odu, called the attention of members to a writ of summons in a case instituted by the sacked caretaker chairmen of the 16 LGAs and the 19 LCDAs.

He cited Order 54(5) of the Standing Order of House, which stated that the Assembly could not deliberate on a matter pending in court.

According to him, the aggrieved chairmen are asking the state High Court to interpret certain aspects of the law regarding their constitution and tenure.

Odu, therefore, advised that the matter be set aside until the court decided the pending suit.


Credit: Kamarudeen Ogundele/Punch