By; OLADELE ADEDAYO, Ado-Ekiti.
The Ekiti State House of Assembly has passed a resolution ratifying the suspension of two councilors in Efon Local Government Area of the state for unethical behaviors and gross misconduct.
The House, at its plenary in Ado-Ekiti, on Thursday, also supported the decision of the council mandating three other councilors to tender letters of undertaking to be of good behavior throughout their tenure as councillors.
According to a statement by the Chairman, House Committee on Information, Hon Samuel Omotoso, the suspended counselors are Aladejare Adewole and Ogunmayowa Taiwo, while those mandated to write letters of undertaking are Ayodele Lawrence, Adesua Busayo and Ogundare Lekan.
The statement said while moving the motion for the ratification of the report of the council at the House plenary,the Deputy Leader,Hon. Adeniran Alagbada,said the House ought to act fast to nip the crisis that might engulfed the council in the bud.
Alagbada disclosed that some leaders in the local government petitioned the Assembly on impending crisis in the council and the House set up an investigation panel to look into the crisis.
Chairman of the panel, Hon. Badejo Anifowose, representing Moba constituency II, said the House deliberated on the petition,inviting parties in the crisis and discovered that evidence pointed to crisis in the legislative arm,while the affected councilors were found culpable.
Anifowose said the day-to-day legislative activities in the council had been abruptly hampered as a result of the crisis, while efforts to checkmate the Councilors unethical behaviours proved abortive.
The panel recommended that the resolution of Efon Local Government on the erring councilors should be upheld and recommended constant interface of all local government legislative arms with the Ekiti State House of Assembly to nurture the system.
The panel described the purported impeachment of the Leader of Business in the council, Mr. Adejolu Adesina, as null and void.
Members, including Hons Akinniyi Sunday, Adewale Ayeni, Akinleye Dayo, Jeje Samuel and Dr. Omotoso,supported the recommendation of the panel and called for training of councilors across the state on the applications and passage of bye-laws in their legislative proceedings.
In his reaction, the Speaker of the Assembly, Rt. Hon. Kola Oluwawole, described the action of the suspended councilors as condemnable and an embarrassment, due to their exhibition of acts of thuggery in the hallowed chamber.
He advised other councilors in the 16 councils of the state to study rules that guide their operations.
