Following Tuesday peaceful protest by members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Kwara State at the gate of the Assembly complex over alleged refusal of the House to swear in the party’s candidate, Agboola Abdulraheem, representing Ilorin South constituency, the state House of Assembly on Wednesday barred visitors from entering premises of the Assembly.
It is recalled that Agboola was returned by the Court of Appeal Tribunal as the winner of the March 10, 2019 state Assembly election.
Security operatives manning the gate of the Assembly turned back all visitors that came to the Assembly, reportedly, on the instruction of the Speaker, Yakubu Danladi, that no visitors should be allowed into the premises of the Assembly.
It was gathered that many people who visited the Assembly was told by security men numbering about 10 comprising of Police and Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) at the gate of the Assembly, said that they had an instruction that no visitors should be allowed into the premises of the state Assembly.
Speaking with journalists, one of the security personnel said, “We cannot allow you to enter the premises of the Assembly. We have the instruction that no visitor should be allowed into the Assembly. Even, we cannot allow anyone to even deliver letter because we have the instruction that we should not receive any letter”, he said.
In a telephone conversation with the director of information in the House, Mr Ayobami Akanbi, said that he was not in Ilorin.
“I am not in the office, right now and I’m not in Ilorin. The action of the Security men is as a result of what happened in the Assembly yesterday (Tuesday), I hope you are aware of what happened”, he said.
It would be recalled that Members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state had stormed the state Assembly to protest the alleged refusal of the leadership of the House from allowing the winner of the Ilorin South state constituency, Mallam Abdulraheem Agboola, to enter the Assembly.
Agboola recently won his case at the Appeal Court, thereby unseating the legislator earlier declared winner by the INEC, Hassan Abdulazeez Agboola became the only member elected on the platform of PDP in the 24 members Assembly.
The Assembly in a reaction by the chairman House Committee on Information, Culture and Tourism, Hon Awolola Ayokunle, said that the House was served “a court summon joining the Speaker and the Clerk to the House, in a motion on notice with No. FHC/IL/CS/157/2019, filed in the Federal High Court of Nigeria, in the Ilorin judicial division, holden at Ilorin by Hon. Hassan Abdulazeez Elewu seeking for restraining the House from swearing-in of the PDP candidate pending determination of the case.
“As the first arm of government charged with the responsibility of lawmaking, the House cannot but abide by the law. However, the House is restrained from taking further steps in respect of the certificate of return issued to the PDP candidate for the Ilorin South constituency seat until the determination of the above said suit scheduled to be moved on Monday, December 16, 2019”.
He assured members of the general public that the House was ready to abide by the rule of law at all times.