Just in: Ekiti Assembly crisis worsens, Speaker impeached, six others suspended

The crisis rocking the Ekiti State House of Assembly took a new twist on Monday when seventeen of the out of the 25 lawmakers elected Olubunmi Adelugba as the new speaker of the Ekiti State House of Assembly, and also impeached Gboyega Aribisogan as the Speaker.

The six suspended lawmakers are Tajudeen Akingbolu; Goke Olajide; Yemisi Ayokunle; Adeyemi Raphael Ajibade; Kemi Balogun and Tope Ogunleye.

The House also elected Hon. Johnson Oyekola Bode- Adeoye as the new leader, while Hon. Lateef Akanle (Kongo) was elected as the new chairman of appropriation.

The leadership of the Assembly has been in crisis since the death of former speaker, Funminiyi Afuye who died at the Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital on October 19 after suffering cardiac arrest.

Ekiti State Assembly Complex had been sealed as members split into opposing groups over the position of the speaker.

READ ALSO: Ekiti House of Assembly impeaches Speaker Aribisogan, elects Adelugba as successor

Aribisogan, who is the representative of Ikole 1 Constituency in the Assembly and a two-term lawmaker, emerged Speaker a month after Afuye’s death.

Prior to his removal on Monday, Aribisogan had accused the immediate past governor of the, Kayode Fayemi of working with members of the state legislature to impeach him.

“The majority of members of Assembly voted for me but few of them who felt perhaps I did not follow the directive of the former governor, Dr. Fayemi, thought that they would make the state ungovernable for even the administration,” Aribisogan said on Channels Television.

“I didn’t have any quarrel with him (Fayemi). I sent a message to him last night asking, ‘What is happening? Am I no longer one of your loyalists? Why did you not congratulate me?’

“Up till now that I’m speaking with you, he has not done anything. Otherwise, he has been going around calling our members to go and impeach me tomorrow. That is the truth.”

Aribisogan had also alleged threats to his life over the position of speaker for the Ekiti State House of Assembly.