Civil Societies Coalition for Emancipation of Osun State (CSCEO) on Tuesday accused the State House of Assembly of foul play because of its denial that there was no petition before it against the state governor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola apart from the one sent by Justice Folaranmi Oloyede.
The group faulted this claim, saying another petition, jointly presented by three different organisations, was submitted before the house.
The group said the petition in reference was one calling for the impeachment of Aregbesola and his deputy, Mrs Grace Titilayo Laoye-Tomori and that it was received by the State House of Assembly on 25th June 2015.
A copy of the three-paged petition against the governor was made available to Huhuonline.com.
The assemblymen had during their sitting on Monday, 17th August 2015 denied a statement credited to the Director, Media and Research of CSCEO, Seun Adeoye during a live interview programme on a National Television station that another petition different from that of Justice Oloyede was before the House.
Adeoye indicted the lawmakers of intentionally remaining silent on the said petition but decided to treat Oloyede’s petion in isolation by bending their rules for reasons best known to the Speaker, Hon. Najeem Salam and his 25 colleagues.
According to the Chairman of CSCEO, Comrade Adeniyi Sulaiman, the untreated petition was sent to the Assembly by the Centre for Human Rights and Social Justice (CHRSJ), Conference of Nigeria Political Parties (CNPP) and Good Governance Support Group (GGSG), an arm of Nigeria Union of Pensioners (NUP).
Sulaiman disclosed that the said petition which highlighted 14 impeachable offences committed by Aregbesola, was signed by him as the representative of CHRSJ and Pastor Olatunde Popoola Olatunji, who is the state Chairman of CNPP.
He said: “The submission of our petition was not done in secret.
“We led a peaceful rally to the Assembly in Abere and we were received by the House Deputy Chief Whip, Hon. Yemi Taiwo from Ayedaade state constituency and the Press Secretary to the Speaker, Mr. Goke Butikakuro.
“Hon Taiwo received the petition on behalf of the Speaker, Hon Salam and even signed for it.
“We have video recording of this event and copies of the petition as submitted to the Speaker were made available to journalists in Osogbo.
“For Salam to have falsely claimed that there was no other petition before the house indicates that he is a partner-in-crime in the mismanagement of Osun resources and a pathological liar who is not fit and trustworthy to hold an exulted position of a Speaker of the House of Assembly.
“This has again confirmed our earlier position and the insinuation of the state citizens that the present Assembly under Salam’s watch is a rubber stamp of Mr. Aregbesola-led executive arm of government.”
Sulaiman explained further that the petition was in line with Section 128 of the 1999 constitution and a request calling for the investigation into the running of affairs of the state by the duo of Aregbesola and Laoye-Tomori.
“One of the impeachable offences committed by Aregbesola and his deputy was the unilateral changing of the name of Osun State to ‘State of Osun’, thus, amending the First Schedule, Section three, Part one of the 1999 Nigeria constitution,” Suleiman added.
“Another was illegal refusal by Aregbesola to conduct Local Government Elections since 2010 when he was sworn in as the governor of the state, thereby spending local government money because of his free access to the fund.”
The Coalition Chairman charged the assemblymen to perform their responsibility as enshrined in sections 4, 128 and 129 of the 1999 constitution.
