Ondo ex-speaker: Akeredolu treating state lawmakers like errand boys

Jumoke Akindele, former speaker of the Ondo state house of assembly, has alleged that Rotimi Akeredolu, governor of the state, is treating the state lawmakers like errand boys.

Akindele said during the governor’s visit to the assembly complex based on the reports of the disruption of plenary by a snake, he attempted to make the world see the lawmakers as cowards.

When he visited the assembly complex on Saturday, the governor had dismissed the reports that a snake crept into the chamber, saying the lawmakers fabricated it to blackmail him and his government.

But Akindele accused the governor of abusing his power and carrying his authority too far.

“My attention has been drawn to a video in which you, Mr Rotimi Akeredolu SAN as Governor of Ondo State charged at the members of the state house of assembly, accusing them of blackmail, dubiousness and deceit. You attempted to make the whole world see the members as your mindless errand boys,” she said in a statement.

“Mr Governor, you were way out of line. You were completely out of order. You carried your authority too far and abused what should be the member’s natural inclination to respect you as a leader. You abused your authority.

“Perhaps you do not realise it, you and these 26 members are the only ones who truly carry the mandate of the people. The people trooped out to elect them as they did you too. To speak to them so condescendingly portrays you as a dictatorial, Hitlerish individual who imagines himself only next to God in importance.”

Akindele said the lawmakers deserve to be accorded with dignity, adding that as a statesman, more is expected of Akeredolu in terms of conduct.

The first female speaker in the state said the  assembly complex ought to be pulled down and “built from scratch”.

“Your Excellency, you poured expletives on them, asking them questions like a mean headmaster telling off an errant pupil. They came out looking that little. Your action has done incalculable damage to the integrity of that institution,” she said.

“Truth be told, the relationship between Governors and members of the House is usually that of a big brother to his junior ones as Governors being the leaders of their parties would have been instrumental to the victory of most of the members at the polls.

“However, statesmanship demands that the Governor does not conduct himself in such a way to bring the institution into such disrepute with the Public like you did.

“I am an advocate of the need to always have a synergy between the Executive and the Legislature. My belief is that when you have unnecessary strife or contentions between the two, only the people will suffer. Our people do not deserve that.

“Having said this Your Excellency, I wish to appeal to you to always exercise restraint when you deal with these people particularly in public. It does neither arm any good when one is seen as a master while the other is seeig as a body of servants. You are a senior lawyer and you must know a lot about our Constitution. Now that you are a politician, take heed.”