Perturbed by the political crisis rocking the Ekiti State House of Assembly, legal luminary; Afe Babalola, SAN, as well as six other SANs in the state, have demanded the reinstatement of Hon. Gboyega Aribisogan as the speaker of the assembly.

Recall that Aribisogan was removed on Monday just six days at the helms by seventeen members of the house, a move Babalola and other SANs described as a “gross display of rascality and impunity.”

In a statement released at the end of their emergency review and appraisal of the crisis, the law lodestars explained that the looming consequence of the negative development in the state Assembly, if not curbed with urgency, is that the new state Governor, Biodun Oyebanji, is not safe from an imminent impeachment.

According to report, the six other SANs who are signatories to the statement were: Chief Wole Olanipekun (SAN); Dele Adesina (SAN); Olu Daramola (SAN); Femi Falana (SAN), Dayo Akinlaja (SAN) and Gboyega Oyewole (SAN).

The seven senior lawyers, described Aribisogan’s removal, as “an overt and brazen exhibition of illegality and use of brute force under democracy”.

They, however, called on Gov. Biodun Oyebanji of Ekiti to watch his back, saying “keeping mute to this reckless abuse of power can boomerang and embolden the lawmakers to go after him in the near future”.

The lawyers warned those they described as “godfathers in Ekiti politics” to be wary of their actions and stop perpetrating acts that could ignite more serious crisis that may trigger instability in the state.

They condemned the hasty way at which the lawmakers allegedly prodded by some godfathers, to move against Aribisogan, under flimsy excuses and unleashed their venom on him.

According to them, the 1999 Constitution, as amended, stipulates that the embattled Aribisogan ought to be given a fair hearing to defend any infraction he had allegedly committed to warrant impeachment.

They argued that this window was not provided or given “a scintilla of consideration”.

“To say the very least, the situation in the Ekiti State House of Assembly should be of extremely grave concern to every decent and discerning mind.

“Before going further, it is pertinent to underscore the prime importance of the State House of Assembly in the affairs of any state in the country.

“By virtue of Section 92 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended), once elected by the members of the House, as done in the case of Aribisogan, the Speaker shall continue to be in office during the lifespan of the particular House except, inter alia, removed from office by a resolution of the House of Assembly by the

“Assuming and without conceding that the Speaker had committed any infraction, was he not entitled to be confronted with the allegation in that respect and given reasonable opportunity to defend himself?

“If so, when was he accorded that? Incontestably, election into such an exalted position as the Speaker of the House dictates that a holder of the office must be accorded fair hearing before being removed from the office,” the senior lawyers said.

They said that the alleged impeachment and stoppage of the salaries of the Speaker and six other members of the House are no less “misplaced, illegal, illegitimate, null and void”.

“If care is not taken and if all of us seal our lips, fold our arms and get relaxed on our seats and allow this rascality and impunity to go unchecked, in no distant future, the Governor of the State would be impeached and forced out of office in like manner,” they said.

The senior lawyers said that by the actions of the lawmakers, they had demonstrated a penchant for political rascality, impunity, brazenness and recklessness of no mean measure.

“Let it be mentioned and registered, posthaste, without any modicum of equivocation, that the purported impeachment of Gboyega Aribisogan, as well as the announced suspension of seven members of the House, is an exercise in utmost futility and, unquestionably, null and void,” they said