Assembly begins sitting on petition against Aregbesola

A seven- man panel set up by the Osun state House of Assembly has invited a serving judge in the State Judiciary, Justice Olamide Folahanmi Oloyede, who petitioned the House demanding the removal of the state governor, Rauuf Aregbesola and his Deputy, Titi Laoye -Tomori over alleged mismanagement of the state resources, to appear before it today Justice Oloyede among several other reasons in the he petition had alleged the governor and his deputy were reckless in the management of the State finances, the situation which she said contributed to inability of the state government to pay salaries regularly to workers.

The investigative panel drawn mainly from members of the ruling party in the house hasbeen roundly criticised for non-inclusion of two members of Opposition Peoples Democratic Party.

The panel has also been conducting its investigation in camera against public outcry that the probe be made public and transmitted live. Speaker of the Assembly Najeem Salaam constituted the panel on July 6 and asked members to submit its report within two weeks.

The Guardian learnt yesterday that a letter inviting the judge reached her on Friday and she had stated her readiness to honour the invitation. A statement igned by the Chief Press Secretary to the Speaker, Mr. Goke Butika said the panel had written a letter to justice Oloyede asking her to get ready to appear before the panel today to provide further clarification on her petition.

Najeem had described the judge’s petition as new and weighty in the history of the Assembly stressing that there is need for the judge to be available before the panel so that she could provide more evidential proofs to substantiate her claims in the document.

The chairman of the panel who doubles as the Deputy Speaker Akintunde Adegboye representing Osogbo state constituency signed the letter asking Justice Oloyede to appear before the panel with her evidential proofs to substantiate the allegations raised in her petitions The letter reads in part, “You are to appear before the panel constituted by the Speaker, Rt. Hon. Najeem Salaam saddled with the responsibility to investigate the allegations raised in your petition, and you are enjoined to appear with your evidences to substantiate the allegations”.

The panel, in keeping with the position by the assembly on the matter said no form of fanfare either by supporters of the state government or those who share opposing views would be entertained within the premises of the assembly during Justice Oloyede’s visit. ‘

No pro or anti- government protesters would be tolerated within the premises of the state parliament. No troublemakers would be allowed to disrupt the peace of the state’’, the statement said.