Oyo Assembly Approves New Deputy Governor
The Oyo State House of Assembly on Monday approved the appointment of Adebayo Lawal as the new Deputy Governor, following the impeachment of Rauf Olaniyan.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the approval followed the nomination of Mr Lawal to the lawmakers for consideration by Governor Seyi Makinde as a replacement for Mr Olaniyan.
NAN reports that Mr Lawal, who is the Chairman of the State Housing Corporation, had served as the state Attorney-General.
He hails from Kisi in Irepo Local Government area.
Mr Lawal’s nomination was contained in a letter by the governor to the lawmakers, which was presented at the plenary.
NAN reports that the House had gone on a short recess shortly after the impeachment of Mr Olaniyan as the deputy governor.
The lawmakers later reconvened at about 12.15 p.m. to consider the appointment of the new deputy governor.
The Speaker, Adebo Ogundoyin, while reading the letter from the executive, said it was in response to an earlier letter sent by the lawmaker to the governor dated July 18, informing him of the impeachment of Mr Olaniyan.
Defending the nomination of Mr Lawal, the House Majority Leader, Sanjo Adedoyin, said the nomination should be favourably considered, approved, and adopted in view of his antecedents in contributing to the progress of the state.
Seconding the motion, Kazeem Olayanju, representing Irepo/Olorunsogo State Constituency, said the House should confirm Mr Lawal as the new Deputy Governor of Oyo State.
In his remarks, the Speaker put the nomination to a voice vote, which went the ways of the “ayes”.
According to him, with the vote, Mr Lawal has been approved as the Deputy Governor of the state.
Meanwhile, the house had in June directed Justice Abimbola to constitute a panel to investigate Mr Olaniyan.
The Oyo State House of Assembly, consequently on Monday impeached the Deputy Governor, Rauf Olaniyan, at its plenary.
Mr Olaniyan was found guilty of all the allegations levelled against him following the reports of a seven-man panel constituted by the state Chief Judge, Munta Abimbola.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the chief judge had on Thursday constituted the panel to investigate the allegations levelled against the deputy governor by the lawmakers.
The panel was said to have begun its sitting immediately and worked all through the weekend.
The House Majority Leader, Sanjo Adedoyin, read the panel’s reports at the plenary.
The lawmakers, after considering the panel’s recommendations, pronounced the impeachment of the deputy governor and that it should take immediate effect.
The House had in June directed Justice Abimbola to constitute a panel to investigate Mr Olaniyan.
It served the deputy governor with a notice of impeachment over allegations of gross misconduct, abuse of office, and financial recklessness, among others, following his defection from PDP to APC.
Abimbola Fashanu, Mr Olaniyan’s lawyer, had jointly taken the state House of Assembly; the Speaker, Adebo Ogundoyin and the Clerk of the House to court over the impeachment move by the lawmakers.
He said: “We appeal for an order of injunction restraining the respondents from enforcing or implementing the judgment on Thursday.
“This is pending the determination of the appeal lodged against the said judgment.
“It’s expedient that an order of injunction be granted so that the outcome of the appeal will not be rendered nugatory.”
Mr Fashanu, however, stressed the need for Nigerians to respect the court processes, being the fundamental principles of the rule of law.
“It is no longer news that His Lordship went ahead to constitute the panel despite the clear notice of pending appeal and application for Stay of Execution.
“With Respect to His Lordship, the Honourable Chief Judge, as number one citizen in the Judiciary, should have respected the judicial process,” he said.
The House adjourned plenary until July 21.
(NAN)
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