Suspension: Again, Ogun Speaker loses as court dismisses application for stay of execution
An Ogun State High Court sitting in Abeokuta, on Wednesday, dismissed the stay of execution application by the state House of Assembly Speaker, Olakunle Oluomo, against the judgment of the court which nullified the suspension of a lawmaker, Dare Kadiri.
The court, presided by Hon. Justice O. A. Onafowokan of the High Court 3, Abeokuta Judicial Division, refused the Speaker’s application and also awarded a fine of N100,000 against him.
It will be recalled that the court had, earlier on March 31, 2023, nullified the suspension of Kadiri, a former Deputy Speaker of the state House of Assembly, and directed that all emoluments due to the lawmaker be paid immediately by the House.
In September 2022, the House, at a plenary presided by the Speaker at the Assembly Complex, Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta, suspended Kadiri and another lawmaker, Solomon Osho over allegations bordering on breach of the rights and privileges of the state legislature.
The House further declared that the lawmakers were suspended in line with the provisions of sections 14 and 15 of the Legislative Houses (Powers and Privileges) Act, 2017.
The Speaker claimed during the session that the document containing the suspension of the lawmakers had been signed by the appropriate number of colleague lawmakers; hence it needed no other procedure before implementation.
But the House later pardoned and recalled Osho while Kadiri, representing Ijebu North II State Constituency, approached the court to challenge his suspension.
Apparently to stall the resumption of the lawmaker for legislative duties at the Assembly, the Speaker applied for stay of execution of the court judgment.
However, during the determination of the application on Wednesday, the court reconfirmed its previous judgment and subsequently refused the application for stay of execution.
The court, which did not see any merit in the application, also fined the applicants N100,000.
Details later…
