By Ajani Okanlawon
Speaker of the All Progressives Congress (APC) faction of the Ekiti State House of Assembly, Dr Adewale Omirin, has forwarded a notice of gross misconduct to Governor Ayodele Fayose.
The move is seen as a prelude to commencing an impeachment process against Fayose of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
According to a letter titled Re: Notice of Allegations of Gross Misconduct sent to Fayose and signed by the 19 APC legislators of the house, eight impeachable allegations have been levied against the governor.
These include invasion of the House of Assembly with thugs and miscreants, instigating an unconstitutional take over of the House by seven legislators to sit in contravention of section 96(2) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, prevention of the 10 APC legislative members from performing legislative duties with the use of security agents and armed thugs and sponsoring an unlawful impeachment process in the House.
Other allegations listed in the notice are spending Ekiti State funds without the requisite constitutional approval in contravention of the Constitution, running the government of Ekiti State without legally constituted Executive Council in contravention of Section 192(2) of the Constitution, operating an illegal 2014 Budget as well as sponsoring and instigating illegal sitting of the House in contravention of Section 96(1) of the Constitution.
Fayose, who was said to have received the notice, was given seven days to respond to the allegations.
It will be recalled that Omirin was banished alongside 18 members of the APC by seven lawmakers loyal to Governor Ayodele Fayose last year.
Omirin was subsequently impeached by the seven lawmakers on November 17, 2014 and a PDP factional Speaker, Hon Dele Olugbemi, has since been presiding over the affairs of the Assembly.
If Fayose is eventually sacked by the 19 lawmakers, he would become the first Nigerian governor to be impeached twice.
He was impeached on September 26, 2006 during his first tenure as governor of the state, and retired General Tunji Olurin appointed as Sole Administrator by then President Olusegun Obasanjo from October 8, 2006 until April 27, 2007.
