Lagos State House of Assembly has been experiencing a lull in its legislative activities as the Speaker, Rt. Hon. Adeyemi Ikuforiji is arraigned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
The House which has recently resorted to weekly sitting, had again adjourned its sitting till Monday next week, just as some of the lawmakers affirmed that the adjournment was to give the Speaker enough time to concentrate on the arraignment and hearing of the case this week.
The sitting, according to Assembly sources, was adjourned after the members considered the 2013 budget of N497. 277 presented to them by Governor Babatunde Fashola a second time.
Ikuforiji, who is currently facing charges of misappropriation of funds instituted against him by the anti-graft agency, will continue his trial daily beginning from today till Thursday.
He was first arraigned in March on a 20 count charge of allegedly conspiring to commit an illegal act of accepting cash payments amounting to N273,303,780 from the Lagos State House of Assembly without going through a financial institution, thereby committing an offence contrary to sections 18(a) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act 2011 and punishable under sections 16(2) (b) of the same act.
When he was re-arraigned on October 24, Justice Okechukwu Okeke of the Federal High Court, Lagos had fixed November 6, 7 and 8, 2012 for continuation of the trial in the case instituted against him and his Personal Assistant, Oyebode Alade Atoyebi by the EFCC.
During this trial in October, the House had adjourned for days and met at a special sitting for the presentation of the 2013 budget by Governor Babatunde Fashola last week Wednesday.
According to findings by Huhuonline.com, the current incessant adjournment is to curtail any move by members who are thought to be opposed to the Speaker from moving against him at this critical point of his predicament.
A member of the House explained to Huhuonline.com that “Even though we all look to the party hierarchy for instruction and direction, as human beings, anything could happen. You remember that the Speaker had gone against Asiwaju Tinubu in the selection of some of the principal officers.
“Instead of Adefunmilayo Tejuosho, who was impeached then as Deputy Speaker for no justified reason to be returned, the House picked Kolawole Taiwo just to compensate the latter for some issues he had with the Speaker which was already tearing the House apart last year and this did not go down well with Tinubu.
“So anything could happen oh! You know that if the House moves against the Speaker at this time, it would be considered as justified because he is facing the EFCC and this is a distraction to the House.”
At the last hearing, the EFCC had presented its first witness, Adebayo Adeniyi, an operative of the Commission. Adeniyi told the court that in the course of investigation, he demanded for documents from the Clerk of the House of Assembly and took statements from several members of the State House of Assembly and civil servants.
Those whose statements were taken and tendered are Bolaji Yusuf Ayinla, Kolawole Taiwo Musibau, Abiru Rotimi, Akande Lola and Abdurrazak Balogun, while those whose statements were taken and admitted include Adewale Taiwo Olatunji, Olusegun Abiru, Latona Folashade, Tijani Maruf and a few others. In all, the witness said 19 documents were tendered and admitted by Justice Okeke as exhibits.
