Three Ogun State House of Assembly lawmakers who were elected in April 2011 General Elections on the platform of People's Democratic Party (PDP) on Tuesday defected to the ruling Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN).
The three lawmakers were Olusola Sonuga; the former PDP Whip, representing Ikenne State Constituency, Babatunde Edunjobi, representing Egbado South State Constituency and Adeyemi Harrison, representing Ogun Waterside State Constituency.
Reading the letters of defection written and addressed to the Ogun House of Assembly by the three defectors, the Speaker of the House, Suraj Adekunbi informed the House and members of public that the trio of Olusola Sonuga, Babatunde Edunjobi and Adeyemi Harrison had to dump PDP for the broom party in order to bring full dividend of democracy to the people they represent.
The three defectors were however welcomed and embraced by the other Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) lawmakers including the Speaker of the House, brandishing brooms.
The defection of the three former PDP lawmakers to ACN has increased the number of ACN lawmakers from initial 17 to 20; meaning that the Action Congress of Nigeria controls more than two-third of the members, while the hitherto six PDP lawmakers has reduced to three, namely, Job Akintan, representing Egbado-North, Akovoyon Abiodun, representing Ipokia/Idiroko and Bowale Solaja, representing Ijebu-North I.
The three members of the People's Democratic Party-carved out People's Party of Nigeria (PPN), namely, John Obafemi, representing Remo-North, Salmon Adeleke, representing Imeko/Afon and Joseph Adegbesan, representing Ijebu-North II remained as it were, but the combination of the opposition party lawmakers is now six and does not form one-third of the members of the House of Assembly.
Meanwhile, the House of Assembly has given conditions for the passage of 'A Bill for Law to Provide for the Raising of Loans through Issuance of Bonds, Notes and other Securities and for Connected Purposes' submitted last two week to the floor of the House for consideration by the Governor of the State, Ibikunle Amosun.
While debating the bill on the floor of the House on Tuesday in Abeokuta, Adijat Adeleye-Oladapo, representing Ifo State Constituency II, argued that the bill was good and a welcome intiative in as much as the executive sought for bonds and other securities in good faith, transparency and fairness, adding that the executive must seek House approval whenever it desires to apply for bonds and other securities.
According to Adeleye-Oladapo, "people of Ogun State do not want to hear the word 'bond' because of past experience, what we are talking about is not just to go to bond market, but to do it with openness, equality and fairness.
"Section 10 and 11 of the constitution confers power on public finance to the House of Assembly and the House will be ceding its power to the Executive if it hurriedly passed this bill.
"Therefore, it must first of all be amended; we should amend it that whenever the Executive is going to bond market, the approval of the House must be sought and they should thouroughly briefed us on what they will use it for and the repayment plan".
Supporting the argument, Victor Fasanya, representing Abeokuta-South Constituency I, said that the bill should not accepted wholesale as some clauses in the bill were faulty; must be amended, some clauses must be expunged and necessary clauses must be included in the bill before it was passed.
Comments