Obey Supreme Court order on Agboola, ex-lawmakers tell Kwara speaker

Forum of former members of Kwara State House of Assembly has called on current Speaker of the House, Hon. Yakubu Salihu-Danladi, to swear-in Hon. Jimoh Raheem Agboola of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as ordered by the Supreme Court.

The forum which has former state lawmakers from 1979 to 2019 as members made this call in the communique issued at the end of its maiden meeting in Ilorin on Monday.

The communique was signed by Dr Abraham Ashaolu and Hon. Isiaka Mogaji, the acting chairman and acting secretary respectively.

The forum also called on the 36 state governors to respect and effect the Executive Order 10 issued by President Muhammadu Buhari to grant financial autonomy and independence to the State Houses of Assembly.

It lamented that while the legislature is the first arm of government by arrangement, state legislatures have been relegated to the position of junior partners in their relationships with the Governors and the executive arm of government at the sub-national level in the country.

The communique added: “The forum noted that Kwara State House of Assembly is one of few states that enjoy financial autonomy backed by relevant laws and therefore frowned at the flagrant disrespect of the Speaker of KWHA, Rt. Hon. Yakub Danladi to the unanimous judgement of the Court of Appeal delivered by Hon. Justice Uchechukwu Onyemenam (JCA) that Hon. Jimoh Raheem Agboola should be recognised, accepted and inaugurated as the representative of Ilorin South Constituency at the KWHA from November 2019 when INEC issued the Certificate of Return to him. The ruling was further upheld by the Supreme Court in a unanimous judgement delivered by Hon. Justice Mary Ukaego Odili (JSC) in November 2020.

“The forum, therefore, calls on the judiciary to disavow being put in a state of helplessness and to urgently take steps to ensure that its judgement was enforced and obeyed in accordance with the Constitution.

“The forum further reiterates that the Kwara State House of Assembly is a public institution whose integrity and sacredness was built and preserved over the years through hard work, commitment and patrimony of all ex-lawmakers. And whatever can negatively rub-off on the image of the House should be our common concern.”

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