…Raps critic tagging it as rubber stamp
The attention of the Ekiti State House of Assembly has been drawn to the demeaning and scurrilous comments made by one Mr Kayode Ojo, affixing on the House an emblem of rubber-stamp, by periscoping the politics around the assembly from a narrow prism and with jaundiced rating .
We are bold and proud to say that the assembly’s seamless cooperation with the Executive Arm, was intended to ramp up good governance and delivery of democracy dividends, which shouldn’t be taken as a sign of weakness.
By rating and efficiency, the 26 lawmakers that composed the assembly, are one of the most effective and dutiful in the current democratic dispensation in Nigeria in art of lawmaking and performance of oversight functions. We view this diatribe as one coming from a frustrated politician, whose governorship ambition was dead at conception stage, not even on arrival.
We considered it an extreme display of political naivety, neophytism and callowness, for any politician to roundly branded or rated an assembly as being rubber-stamp on account of frictionless dealings with the executive to bolster the dividends of democracy for the citizens.
We are emphatic that the electorate across the 26 State Constituencies, had a sole mission for voting us into our respective political offices, which was primarily to usher development to their doorsteps, and not to exchange fisticuffs or verbal tirades with the governor in the public for cheap political capital.
As an assembly populated by matured minds, accomplished technocrats and politicians, as well as people of robust antecedents, it will be wrong for us to be throwing tantrums at the executive in the open, when we have an administrative channel of communication to lubricate any friction and straighten rough edges.
For the records, this Assembly has in the last two years demonstrated capacity, patriotism and unshakeable commitment to act of lawmaking by passing over 30 bills, out of which 24 had been signed into laws and now being operational.
This naysayer and his co-travellers shouldn’t be intellectually lazy to unearth the right facts about the operations of the Assembly under Rt Hon. Adeoye Aribasoye’s leadership. Since its advent in June 6, 2023, all its plenary, parliamentary and public hearing sessions were being given Live streaming, ditto the oversight functions. This is to connect with the people wherever they are. This earned the assembly the Best in ICT integration in Nigeria, by the rating conducted by the Bureau of Public Reforms, office of the Presidency in 2024.
As part of our oversight functions, this Assembly has not in any way shirked its onerous responsibility in this regard. Many commissioners appointed by Governor Biodun Oyebanji and elected Local Government Chairmen, were being summoned to periodically offer accounts of stewardship and appear to shed light on some grey areas around their responsibilities, for proficiency in delivery and maintenance of shrewd fiscal responsibility in Ekiti’s body polity.
Besides budget presentations, which has become an annual ritual, Governor Oyebanji used to appear before the assembly on yearly basis to render accounts of stewardship. This is one area that further buttressed the fact Ekiti Assembly is independent, respected and discharging its duties zealously and conscientiously.
Just a few days ago, the assembly led a delegation to Agbeyewa Farms for on- the -spot appraisal of the level of development based on the existing synergy between the food production Firm and the state government.
To also correct the warped, twisted and invidious thinking of this critic and those in his ilk and lay a strong foundation that the assembly is Indepedent and not inhibited by executive power, some workers who were sacked in the past had been recalled by this House, with the assembly passing a resolution for their absorption into the system, which the state government complied with expeditiously.
With all due respect to him, this unsubstantiated attacks and outright lies, had vividly amplified the critic’s inept and shallow understanding of the act of governance regarding executive-legislature relationship, and the doctrine of separation of powers, which was regarded as the bond and basement upon which government is anchored.
It is our collective submission that making scurrilous comments,by branding the house that has delivered so much to promote good governance in Ekiti State and improve government’s delivery of good governance to the people a rubber stamp, as one coming from a frustrated politician, who has lost touch with the reality.
Let it be expressly stated that if our collective support for Governor Oyebanji’s second term was being taken as a sign of weakness, we care less about this ill-feeling. Ekiti Assembly members are all products of politics. It is our inalienable rights to back any candidate of our choice and nobody can rob us of this constitutional freedom of association. This we did with clear conscience and strong conviction that the governor has done creditably well.
To us in the Assembly, we will continue to deliver and hold our unflinching loyalty to the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the House’s standing Order and to our respectable Constituents, who elected us based on trust that we can deliver, if given the lever of power.
We will continue to constructively engage the executive to foster a governance that can responsibly build an enduring economy, responsive healthcare system, functional education policy, robust human capital development and youth empowerment for our sophisticated productive population to herald a state that we dream of and that we can all be proud of.
We appeal to our people to discountenance this misdirected tirade and continue to perceive the assembly as one that is Independent, responsive and with strong muscle and reflex to defend the people in all issues bothering them.
This is the minimum threshold expected of us as elected officials and we won’t betray this confidence reposed in us.
Signed:
Hon. Babatunde Oke
Chairman, Ekiti State House of Assembly Committee on Media and Public Affairs