December 30, 2008
Akala Addresses Senior Workers From Iyabo Lawal, Ibadan CONFUSION reigned yesterday in Oyo State over the head of its executive tier of government following the controversial impeachment on Thursday of its elected governor, Alhaji Rashidi Adewolu Ladoja, and the equally befuddling swearing-in of his deputy, Christopher Adebayo Alao Akala, as new helmsman. Drawing strength from a court ruling, which, also on Thursday, voided the panel that recommended his impeachment, the Ladoja camp yesterday disclosed that he would resume official duties on Monday next week. Akala, however reported for work as governor yesterday. He held a meeting with the Permanent Secretaries from the various ministries and declared that he planned to restore peace in the state. The Ondo Street, Bodija residence of Ladoja was a beehive of activities yesterday as his political associates gathered to review the development. The Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Mr Ayodele Adigun who addressed journalists on behalf of the governor, dismissed the "purported impeachment." According to Adigun, once the court had pronounced the actions of the panel a nullity, Ladoja remained the governor and would continue his official duties. He said: "We are not unaware of the developments in the state in the last three weeks which culminated in the theatre of the absurd yesterday (Thursday) when the erstwhile Deputy Governor was sworn in as the governor." The SSG continued: "We are also aware of the ruling of an Ibadan High Court 7, presided over by Justice Bolaji Yusuf, that declared the process adopted in the impeachment process illegal. We follow the rule of law, we are a civilised people. The court has declared it illegal, and the governor had addressed the people yesterday, stating emphatically that he still remained the governor in accordance with the laws of the land, that is what we are still holding onto." "Except there is another development from the court, Senator Ladoja still remains the governor of Oyo State. The so-called swearing-in of the new governor has been declared null and void as well as the process that culminated in it," Adigun stressed. "It is a good thing that the President and Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo came two days ago and said it emphatically that he would not interfere in the judicial process. The judiciary has described Thursday's event as illegal. Law-abiding Nigerians are abiding by the decision of that court that the purported swearing-in is illegal." Although he refused to disclose the governor's whereabouts, the SSG allayed fears over his life. He said: "Ladoja is safe and sound, he is not in any form of House arrest and by Monday, he will move back to his office." On fear of anarchy if the governor reported in his office, Adigun said the purported impeachment and subsequent swearing-in of Akala was a combination of judicial and political rascality which should not be allowed to hold. He said: "No civilised country will allow that kind of act to happen. The constitution is there. You have witnessed constitutional breaches. The acting Chief Judge, Justice Afolabi Adeniran who should know better, shirked his responsibility. Both the acting Chief Judge and Akala are from Ogbomoso...we need not put sentiments into things. It is very easy to read tribal sentiments into that kind of arrangement, because the law was clear, he had an order telling him not to proceed and he went ahead to inaugurate the panel. The law is also clear about impeachment. The constitution says two thirds of all members of the House with the Speaker. In this case, there was no Speaker. In all, if you look at the motive, you do not say because you want to carry out a nefarious activity, you go on with some sets of people to carry out the act of jungle justice, a kangaroo kind of arrangement." Adigun, who exonerated the presidency in the crisis, called Akala to respect the rule of law and step down since the court had declared the process, which brought him in as faulty. While insisting that Ladoja was still in charge, the SSG said the State Executive Council, which was purportedly dissolved by Akala, was still intact. He also called on the proponents of the impeachment process to wait till next elections in 2007. But Akala carried on as the new governor yesterday. Adressing the senior civil servants, he declared that government was a continuous exercise, and pledged to continue "from where Ladoja has stopped." Akala said: "I called you to a meeting to inform you of the dissolution of the cabinet and the need to take charge of the ministries in acting capacity. My immediate challenge is to bring back the peace to the state, to make room for the smooth running of my administration. I will continue where my predecessor stopped. I will lay emphasis on the transformation of the party and will not meddle in the affairs of the state House of Assembly. I believe they will resolve all their differences politically as time goes on." Responding, the Head of Service, Mrs. Modupe Akinbode, declared the civil servants' readiness to discharge their duties without bias and co-operate with the "present government". She assured that henceforth, normalcy would return and urged the civil servants to report to work. The people who besieged Ladoja's Bodija home yesterday included the Commissioner for Establishment, Mrs. Esther Adesanya and her Women Affairs counterpart, Mrs. Christiana Babalola. Others included the Chief of Staff to the Governor, Chief Sarafadeen Alli; his special Adviser on Labour, Mr Ibrahim Bolomope; and the factional Chairman of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), Alhaji Abubakar Adegboyega. Also present were party supporters, mostly women, from the various local government councils.
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