Assembly declines ex-Speaker’s request to quash impeachment

A REQUEST by the former Speaker of the fourth Ekiti State House of Assembly Dr. Adewale Omirin to the Assembly to reverse his purported impeachment by a faction led by Dele Odugbemi was yesterday turned down by the Lawmakers.

Omirin in a letter had pleaded with the Assembly to reverse his impeachment by a faction of the former Assembly led by the factional speaker, Dele Olugbemi

He also stressed that he would get justice in the court of law, if the Assembly turned down the request, adding that it would be honourable for the lawmakers to accede to the request for posterity sake.

But the Assembly in its reply read by the Speaker, Hon Kola Oluwawole at a press conference in Ado Ekiti yesterday, said Omirin, had in a suit No FHC/CS/1823/14 at the Federal High Court, Lagos, challenged the impeachment before it was later dismissed upon withdrawal.

Oluwawole maintained that the fact that the impeachment had been challenged in court constituted a serious impediment to the House to accede to the request, in spite of their interest to do justice in the matter.

“Sir, why we will not comment on the constitutionality of the impeachment or otherwise, one point remains sacrosanct that there was an impeachment exercise against you on November 20, 2014, upon which you instituted the matter referred to above.

“It must be borne in mind that whether your impeachment was legal or
not is for the court of law to decide, but we, with due respect to your person, are helpless in the circumstances.

“Against this backdrop, the present House of Assembly is not empowered by either the constitution or the case Law to obliterate the records of Hon Dele Olugbemi as the speaker between November 20, 2014 and June 5, 2015.

“As a respected colleague, we may, however, consider a pardon of the reasons that warranted your impeachment, but not for a pseudo re-instalment of a period you never acted in that capacity”, the speaker said.