Posted by From AKEEB ALARAPE and SEYE OJO, Ibadan on
Strong indications emerged on Tuesday in Ibadan that the Speaker of Oyo State House of Assembly, Hon. Moroof Olawale Atilola, may be impeached any moment from now.
Strong indications emerged on Tuesday in Ibadan that the Speaker of Oyo State House of Assembly, Hon. Moroof Olawale Atilola, may be impeached any moment from now. _Daily Sun gathered that the decision was not unconnected with series of allegation against the Speaker that he was incompetent to be presiding over the proceedings of the House.
Besides, the Speaker was accused of high-handedness, arrogance, lack of leadership qualities and his divide and rule tactics which they said he has been using to favour a few among the 32 members of the state parliament.
Some of the lawmakers on arrival at the Assembly complex yesterday went straight to the caucus room, where they held a marathon meeting. They were said to have seriously deliberated on the impeachment move and other related matters, but could not sit at the Plenary Session.
It was gathered that the speaker has not been having it smooth with some of the legislators since the inception of the incumbent administration in the state in 2007, when Hon. Atilola emerged as the Speaker.
The lawmakers were also said to have wanted to employed the absence of the state governor, Otunba Adebayo Alao-Akala, who was out of the country to remove the Speaker. The governor was also said to have foiled the impeachment of the Speaker which could have been carried out during the sitting of the House yesterday. According to the information at hand, the governor begged the lawmakers to suspend the impeachment move until he returns to the country._
Some of the lawmakers supporting the removal of the Speaker maintained that Hon. Atitola was too weak in logic when it comes to defending and protecting the interest of the lawmakers before the governor and other executive members of the state functionaries. It was reliably gathered that no fewer than 28 members had signed the impeachment paper as at yesterday. As gathered, Hon. Atilola would have been impeached since last year but the moves were unsuccessful as a result of the backing the Speaker received from the late strongman of Ibadan politics, Alhaji Lamidi Adedibu._
'The demise of Adedibu, will be a great loss to the embattled Speaker, because he has been escaping impeachment due to the favour he enjoyed from the Alhaji Adedibu whenever he had problem with his colleagues in the House.
_One of the lawmakers, Hon. Ademola Adejumobi, representing Atisbo/Saki West State Constituency told inquisitive newsmen who stormed the premises of the state parliament building on the development, accused the Speaker of incompetence and lack of charisma to be the speaker of the pace setter state.
_His words, 'If the Speaker escaped the impeachment today, I am sure he will not escape it another day. We don't want him any longer; he does not have the charisma to be our Speaker. "
But another lawmaker, Hon Abiola Ayorinde, representing Ibadan South-West I State Constituency declared that there was nothing like impeachment move against the Speaker of the House at present. He, however, confirmed that there was crisis in the House but was just a minor administrative problem which he expressed hope would soon be settled.
As at the time of filing this report, the caucus meeting the lawmakers was holding on whether the Speaker should be impeached or not was still on. Meanwhile, all efforts made to hear from the embattled Speaker were to no avail.