…Says Impeachment Cannot Stand The Test of Time
…Asks NJC to Sanction Oyo CJ
Soji Ajibola, Ibadan
The Governorship Candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Oyo state, Senator Teslim Kolawole Folarin has described as unlawful the impeachment of the Deputy Governor of the state.
He said that use behind the action lack respect for the rule of law.
He said APC would not relent in providing alternative to the unruly and undemocratic acts of the Peoples Democratic Party (APC) led administration in the state.
Reacting to the news of the impeachment of the Deputy Governor of the state, Rauf Olaniyan, in a statement on Monday, Folarin said the committee set up by the Chief Judge of the state to investigate the deputy governor also showed it lacks integrity.
He queried why the commitee would give the deputy governor just 15 minutes to appear before it, adding that the Chief Judge breached his oath of office by ignoring the service of notice of appeal and application for injunction pending appeal when he proceeded to constitute the investigation committee.
According to Folarin, despite the intervention of the legal adviser to the deputy governor that he needed time to prepare himself for the allegations leveled against him, the Chief Judge set up committee to carry out his bidding.
He said the illegal impeachment does not stop the court of appeal and by extension the Supreme to do their job in days to come.
The statement read, “The investigation by the committee set up by the Honorable Chief Judge is a charade that cannot stand the test of time.
“In the first instance, the Honorable Chief Judge, with respect, breached his oath of office by ignoring the service of notice of appeal and application for injunction pending appeal when he proceeded to constitute the investigation committee.
“This is against established law and practice. On the part of the panel, they were appointed and paid to do job, which must be contrary to good conscience.
“We are vindicated that Makinde lacks experience in leading a sophisticated state like Oyo state. He took the decision without considering the implications. We cannot blame Makinde alone but the toothless bulldogs in the state of Assembly that refused to do their job.
“They served the Deputy Governor on Friday around 10:45 am and asked him to appear at 11.am. We wrote to inform them that His Excellency needed time to prepare for his defence, but in their desperation to do the job for which they were paid, they rejected the letter, sat on Saturday and completed their task the same day.
“Where is the fairness here? The members of the committee are supposed to be men above board. You have a Reverend father, a Jerusalem Pilgrim, and an Alhaji among them. This is a clear evidence that we are not yet ripe for democratic practice. This is a wake up call for the good people of Oyo State to elect men and women of integrity to represent them in 2023.”