Biodun Oyebanji, the governor of Ekiti State, has stated that it was inappropriate for him to interfere in the affairs of the state Assembly or to have a preferred candidate for any leadership position in the House.
He did this while reiterating his support for the separation of powers in the state and the rule of law.
Oyebanjo made this statement on Tuesday when Paul Omotoso, the chairman of the All Progressives Congress in the state, officially presented Olubunmi Adelugba, the new Speaker of the House who took over for Gboyega Aribisogan, to him at his office.
Oyebanji thanked the House for demonstrating the confidence their constituents and the leadership of the party reposed in them, according to a statement released by the state government. He also thanked the APC leadership in the state for resolving the family disagreement among the state legislators.
The governor took advantage of the occasion to make an appeal to the new Speaker for the budget, which was in the House, to be passed quickly.
He stated, “My comment begins by expressing my gratitude to the party leadership for resolving this family dispute; it is not a crisis;Democracy is not without its challenges.The beauty of democracy is that there are mechanisms built in to resolve disputes and disagreements.
“And that is how things have turned out.One is the APC.I’m a devoted individual from this party;I wouldn’t be here today if it weren’t for the APC, which gave me a foothold on which to stand.
“Because I swore an oath to defend the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, I refused from the beginning to be drawn into it.The powers and duties of each branch of government are clearly defined in the constitution.They don’t interfere with what I do because I lead the executive branch of the government, and it would be wrong and against the constitution for me to interfere with what happens in the House of Assembly.
Related News: The impeached Ekiti speaker faces impeachment in court:”What I have done as your governor is to ensure that I protect lives and property, and that is within my power as the governor of this state,” said the sacked Ekiti Speaker, whose election was compromised.Although I did not interfere, I am pleased with the outcome.Respect for leadership is ingrained in our culture as progressives.
“And Madam Speaker, our budget is before the House of Assembly, and we are putting in a lot of effort to make sure we fulfill our promises to the people of Ekiti, but we cannot break the rules that are already in place.”I’m pleading for the budget to be passed quickly.
“We are waiting for the budget to be approved. There are many things we should have brought before the honorable House.
“While I congratulate the new Speaker, I will simply plead with the party chair to bring everyone to the table. For the first time, I will have to respond quickly to all social media insinuations regarding the House of Assembly’s events.We would resolve it as a family because it is a family matter.
While expressing gratitude to the APC chairman in the state for his role in ensuring that the party’s decisions were adhered to, Adelugba dismissed talk of rancor in the House earlier.
She went on to say, “All along, everyone refers to the Ekiti State House of Assembly as the most peaceful, dutiful, with particular mention of the number of bills we have passed because we don’t joke with our legislative activities.”
The Deputy Governor, Chief (Mrs.) Monisade Afuye, was also at the meeting;Hakeem Jamiu, Deputy Speaker of the House of Assembly in Ekiti State;Dr. (Mrs.) Habibat Adubiaro, the state government’s secretary;State Executive Council members;APC Chairmen of the 16 local government areas and 18 members of the State House of Assembly.