TheCable

Gboyega Aribisogan was on Monday impeached as speaker of the Ekiti house of assembly after spending only six days in office. His impeachment paved the way for Olubunmi Adelugba, the lawmaker representing Emure constituency, to succeed him and make history as the state’s first female speaker.

THE ROCKY STEPS TO LEAD EKITI ASSEMBLY

In a video published by AIT, lawmakers could be seen hailing Adelugba on her new role as speaker. It was a quiet ceremony devoid of journalists and other persons who could distract the proceedings. Hastily, Aribisogan’s vacant position was filled.

His ascent to the seat had not been smooth as well. The Ekiti house of assembly has been in disarray since the death of Funminiyi Afuye, the previous speaker, who died in October after he reportedly suffered a cardiac arrest.

The late Afuye was aged 66 when he died.

On November 15, Aribisogan, who represents Ikole constituency 1, was elected as the new speaker of the assembly.

Twenty-four hours after he was sworn in, the police laid siege on the assembly complex over claims that some persons were planning to attack the lawmakers.

The development prevented the lawmakers from holding plenaries following Aribisogan’s election.

But the speaker described the alarm of a threat to attack the assembly as “make-belief” and accused Kayode Fayemi, immediate past governor of the state, of masterminding a plot to impeach him.

He said Fayemi was leading seven lawmakers to start an illegal impeachment process because he had refused to “follow the directive of the former governor”.

A few hours later, Aribisogan was removed and Adelugba was sworn in.

WHO IS OLUBUNMI ADELUGBA?

Adelugba, a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC), was elected into the Ekiti assembly in 2019.

Membership of the state assembly is not Adelugba’s first political rodeo. She was the state’s pioneer commissioner for labour, productivity and human capital development, and led the ministry to start the payment of monthly stipends to the elderly in Ekiti.

In her role as a special adviser on revenue matters and taxation in Ekiti, she oversaw an increase in the internally generated revenue in the state.

Adelugba has had more than two decades of work experience in rendering audit and corporate advisory services and financial consultancy within and outside Nigeria. 

One such experience was when she worked with ActionAid Nigeria as the management accountant and in ActionAid International Cameroon as the head of finance. 

Adelugba holds a masters’ degree in financial management. She is a fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (FCA), the Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria (FCTI) and a Chartered Public Finance Accountant (CPFA).

Shortly after her election as speaker, the oaths of office and allegiance were administered, becoming the first speaker in the 26-year history of the state.

She thanked her colleagues for counting her worthy to be elected as the speaker, promising not to take their trust and confidence reposed in her for granted.

Adelugba later adjourned the house’s sitting indefinitely.