Politics
Aribisogan: Ekiti Assembly Member Reply SANs

The Ekiti State House of Assembly has replied the seven Senior Advocates of Nigeria of Ekiti origin that condemned the removal of Gboyega Aribisogan as the state’s Speaker.
Speaking for the House on Thursday night, the new Chairman, House Committee on Media and Publicity, Adeoye Aribasoye said the sack is irreversible.
The lawmaker, in a statement, said the new Speaker, Bunmi Adelugba, shall remain in office come what may.
Recall that the SANs, who are Ekiti indigenes, had called for the reinstatement of Aribisogan stating that his sacking illegal.
The SANs, led by Afe Babalola, included Chief Wole Olanipekun (SAN); Dele Adesina (SAN); Olu Daramola (SAN); Femi Falana (SAN); Dayo Akinlaja (SAN) and Gboyega Oyewole (SAN).
The senior lawyers also said Adelugba, who was elected as Speaker after Aribisogan’s sacking should stop parading herself as the new Speaker, saying her purported election was irregular.
However, in a swift reaction, Aribasoye said, “The attention of the Ekiti State House of Assembly has been drawn to a letter circulating on social media written by a combination of Senior Advocates of Nigeria.
READ ALSO: 2023: INEC Releases New Guidelines For Campaigns, Party Funding
“The letter is about the concern of the legal luminaries led by Aare Afe Babalola about the recent change of leadership in the Ekiti State House of Assembly, leading to the impeachment of Rt. Hon Gboyega Aribisogan, who was replaced with Rt. Hon. Olubunmi Adelugba.
“We recognise the right of the legal luminaries, as stakeholders in Ekiti State and we respect their opinions and advice, but that is where it ends.
“We wish to let the reading public know that members of the Assembly feel a sense of injustice by the one-sided opinion and biased intervention of the legal luminaries, who are also elder statesmen.
“The principle of justice all over the world is that all sides to a conflict must be heard and it is only then that justice can be seen to have been done.”
According to him, it is unfortunate that our elder statesmen did not hear from the side of the new Speaker and the remaining 16 members, who sacked Aribisogan and elected Adelugba.
“For the avoidance of doubt, Adelugba remains the validly elected Speaker of the Assembly and she enjoys the support of overwhelming majority of the Honourable members, party leadership and the government of Ekiti State.
“Therefore, the advice of the legal luminaries that Adelugba, who was duly elected by 17 members should stop parading herself as the Speaker is unwarranted and we believe this is based on wrong information by the sacked Speaker.”
