A lawmaker in Ekiti State, South-western part of Nigeria has bagged a lengthy suspension which will see him being denied his salaries and other financial benefits attached to his office.
The Ekiti State House of Assembly has suspended the legislator representing Ekiti-East Constituency 1, Fajana Ojo-Ade, for 101 legislative days without pay in the first instance, except he shows signs of genuine remorse.
Ojo-Ade, a member of the Peoples Democratic Party, was also barred within one-kilometre radius of the Assembly complex and asked to submit all properties of Ekiti State House of Assembly in his possession to the clerk.
The Chairman, House Committee on Information, Dr. Samuel Omotoso, in a press release on Wednesday in Ado-Ekiti, said the suspension came into force after the disciplinary committee set up by the Speaker, Kola Oluwawole, to investigate Ojo-Ade submitted its report at the plenary.
The Assembly had, in October last year, suspended the lawmaker representing Ikole Constituency 1, Mr. Gboyega Aribisogan, for 180 legislative days.
Aribisogan recently defected from the PDP to the All Progressives Congress. Omotoso said Ojo-Ade appeared twice at the sitting of the disciplinary committee in the last two weeks, where he defended himself on allegations of gross misconduct, financial impropriety, failed attempt at removing the Speaker, violence, physical attack on members, and for bringing the name of the House to serious disregard and disrepute.
“Whereas Fajana Ojo-Ade, a member of the fifth Assembly representing Ekiti-East 1, having been found guilty of gross misconduct against the Ekiti State House of Assembly, hereby committed an offence by breaching the extant rules and standing orders of this honourable House,” Omotoso said, quoting the committee.
According to him, the plenary approved the recommendations of the disciplinary committee that Ojo-Ade should write a letter of apology through the Speaker to the House.
Omotoso stated that the EKHA, as a product of the rule of law, would, at all times, frown upon any form of inappropriate behaviour by any member, “to preserve the sanctity and the integrity of the institution for posterity.”