UPDATE: Heated debate as minority leader, Ojo, emerges new Oyo speaker

AFTER heated debate among members of the camps of the two major candidates in the Oyo Speakership contest, Minority Leader of the Assembly, Honourable Olagunju Ojo, was, on Tuesday, elected unopposed as Speaker of the Assembly, with Deputy Speaker, Honourable Abdulwasi Musah retaining his position.

This is just as Honourable Ademola Ige of Ibadan South East II constituency was elected unopposed as new Minority Leader of the Assembly.

The subject of the debate was the rationale for the emergence of the Speaker, with some members rooting for election while the other camp sought the Assembly to interpret some sections of the nation’s constitution as allowing the deputy Speaker to assume Speakership position automatically.

Honourable Muideen Olagunju of Oyo East/Oyo West constituency had laid the foundation for the debate quoting to provision of section 95, subsection 1 of the nation’s 1999 constitution (as amended) which states that, “At any sitting of a House of Assembly, the Speaker of that House shall preside, and in his absence the Deputy Speaker shall preside.”

Olagunju, alongside Honourable Segun Olaleye of Ibadan North II, had argued that “absence” as contained in the quoted section of the constitution, could be temporary or permanent, hence the fact that the late Speaker was now perpetually absent, the Deputy Speaker should transit to become the Speaker.

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Olaleye had also argued that party affiliation of who becomes Speaker should also be put in perspective, particularly when the member who said he had defected from one party to another political party had still not declared his or her defection on the floor of the parliament.

To this end, Olagunju and Olaleye posited that holding an election for the new Speaker was unnecessary and that the Deputy Speaker should be declared Speaker.

Countering the earlier position, Honourable Solomon Akande drew the attention of members to the Assembly being an independent arm and was bound by the House Rule hence the deputy governor to governor, vice president to president assumption of office as applicable to the executive arm of government did not apply to the legislature.

According to Akande, the Assembly would adhere to the House Rule, Order 2, Rule 2, Sub Rule 3 which stipulates that election for Speaker shall be conducted in the absence or death of the Speaker to fill the vacancy.

Akande’s position that election should hold was supported by Honourables Segun Ajanaku, Akinmoyede Olafioye and Joshua Oyebamiji.

As the debate got heated, Honorable Fatai Adesina of Ibadan South East II constituency, urged members to respect the memory of the late Speaker, Honourable Michael Adeyemo, in the raging clamour on how the next Speaker should emerge.

In a motion he moved and was seconded by Honourable Peter Oyetunji of Surulere/Ogo-Oluwa constituency, the Assembly moved into an executive council session, involving some principal officers and other stakeholders so as to arrive at a decision on what modality to adopt towards producing the new Speaker.

Emerging from the executive council, after about 20 minutes, deputy Speaker, Musah cautioned members to respect the memory of Adeyemo, noting that wrangling and exchange of heated words over the Speakership seat was unnecessary.

Though he expressed fear that the conduct of the election was capable of further polarizing the Assembly into two camps, Musah reported that the council had agreed to call for nomination and hold election subsequently.

Subsequently, Ojo was nominated as Speaker by Honourable Joshua Oyebamiji of Akinyele 1 constituency seconded by Honourable Gbenga Oyekola of Atiba constituency with no other nomination.

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Speaking on what informed the decision to allow Ojo emerge unopposed, Honourable Joshua Oyebamiji said members considered Ojo’s experience, maturity, age, religion and geopolitical zone.

“It was a subject of debate at the executive council session and we considered geopolitical zone, religion, experience. The new Speaker was a deputy Speaker during the Fourth Assembly. He is the most elderly, mature in the Assembly. He hails from Ogbomoso, which balances the fact that the governor is from Ibadan and the deputy governor is from the Oke Ogun zone of the state,” Oyebamiji said.

Ojo, who was sworn in by Clerk of the Assembly, Mr Paul Bankole, said what was utmost in the one year he will serve was to sustain peace in the Assembly as well as keep up harmonious coexistence between the legislature and executive.

He pleaded with Governor Abiola Ajimobi to immortalize the late Speaker, Honourable Michael Adeyemo, by naming a monument or institution after him, as well as complete the Eleyele-Eruwa-Lanlate road.

Meanwhile, Governor Abiola Ajimobi has saluted members of the state Assembly for ensuring that the new Speaker emerged free of rancour.

In a statement by his the Special Adviser on Communication and Strategy, Mr. Bolaji Tunji, Ajimobi pledged the full support of the executive arm of government to the new speaker.

He especially charged the new Speaker to sustain the legacy of peace, cooperation and bridge-building existing between the executive and the legislature.

Ajimobi stressed that the support of the legislature is critical to the consolidation of the unprecedented achievements of his administration in the last seven years.