5th March, 2013
The Ogun State House of Assembly has suspended four members for allegedly causing disaffection among staff of the assembly and making the assembly ungovernable, among other grave allegations levelled against them.
The four members are Remmy Hassan, Adijat Adeleye, Job Akintan and John Obafemi.
Thereafter, hell was let loose at the House of Assembly in Abeokuta, the capital of Ogun state, southwest Nigeria.
Many people, including journalists, were teargassed and the mace was broken following the commotion that ensued.
The Ogun State Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, NUJ, Kehinde Akinyemi, was manhandled while he was trying to get across to the Speaker after the four lawmakers were suspended.
Specifically, Adijat was accused of causing disaffection among staff of the House of Assembly and trying to make the Assembly ungovernable for the leadership of the house.
She was also accused of unruly challenging the authority of the Speaker, Suraju Adekumbi, both verbally and in writing, refusing to give proper account of N24 million being funds allocated for members’ foreign trip, constantly causing disaffection among members of the house, refusing to declare personal interest in contracts she awarded as Chairman House Service Committee, bringing the House of Assembly into disrepute by granting interviews to the media where she
intentionally misrepresented facts to the public, walking out of the House sitting on Thursday, 28 February, 2013 in outright disobedience of the authority of the leadership of the house repeatedly, among others.
Remmy Hassan’s alleged offences include causing disaffection among staffs of the House of Assembly, unruly challenging the authority of the Speaker, engaging in unruly behaviour by physically fighting/assaulting Onademuren in outright disregard to the authority of the house leadership, constantly causing disaffection among members of the house and refusing to declare personal interest in contracts he awarded as member of House Service Committee.
Other allegations levelled against Hassan are: bringing the institution of the House of Assembly into disrepute by granting interviews where he intentionally misrepresented facts to the public, walking out of the House sitting unruly on Thursday, 28 February, 2013 in outright disobedience of the authority of the leadership of the house repeatedly, challenging the authority of the leadership of the house by calling/inciting members not to attend meetings rightly called by the house leadership.
Akitan was suspended because of similar allegations levelled against Adijat and Hassan.
In Obafemi’s case, he was accused among other alleged offences, of trying to make the Assembly ungovernable for the leadership of the house and criminally attempting to usurp the
authority of the Speaker by invoking Order XXXX of the Standing Order and authority specially reserved for the Speaker of the House.
The suspended members, however, turned around and suspended the Speaker, Adekumbi and four other members.
They had accused the Speaker of corruption and high handedness.
—Abiodun Onafuye/Abeokuta