By James Sowole
The Ondo State House of Assembly yesterday suspended a member, Hon. Tomide Akinribido, for allegedly posting a message on his WhatsApp page on probity of the office of the Speaker and the Assembly.
The suspension of Akinribido, who represents Ondo West I on the platform of the Zenith Labour Party (ZLP), brought to four the number of lawmakers that had been suspended by the Assembly in the last four weeks.
Though the Assembly hinged the suspension of the lawmakers on misbehaviour, some sources saw the act as a move to get the required number of signatories to effect the removal of the Deputy Governor, Mr. Agboola Ajayi.
The Speaker of the Assembly, Hon Bamidele Oleyelogun, while ruling on the recommendation of an ad hoc committee set up on July 18, 2020, said the observations of the committee clearly indicated that the suspended members deliberately decided to put into disrepute the House of the Assembly.
Oleyelogun said Akinribido had therefore been suspended forthwith, asking him to hand over all properties of the Assembly in his possession to the Clerk of the Assembly, and that the suspended lawmaker should not be seen at the premises of the Assembly.
According to him, the lawmaker will not have the right to his entitlements.
Earlier, the ad hoc committee, which recommended the lawmaker’s suspension, said it had carefully considered the view of Akinribido, saying the Assembly should decide on punishment to be met as sanction to serve as deterrent to others.
The suspension was unanimously approved through voice votes by the Assembly members after the committee’s report had been adopted and approved by the Assembly.
The Chairman of the committee, Samuel Aderoboye, representing Odigbo II constituency, asked the Assembly Chief Whip or Deputy Chief Whip to monitor the Assembly group WhatsApp platform and remove any member who violated the code of conduct of the platform.
