Former Speaker lambasts Akeredolu's High–handedness on Ondo Lawmakers

Former Speaker, Ondo state House of assembly, Mrs Jumoke Akindele has condemned,in strong terms,the attitude displayed by governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu towards the state lawmakers when he visited the assembly complex over reports of snakes invasion which disrupted the plenary.

Akindele in a open Letter to Akeredolu on Sunday said the governor overstepped his boundary.

The letter reads in parts “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 sure that the whole world sees the members as your cowardly, ineffectual and mindless errand boys.

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 realize it: You and these 26 members are the only ones who truly carry the mandate of the People.

The people, it was, who trooped out to elect them as they did you too.To speak to them so condescendingly and so demeaningly portrays you as a dictatorial, hitlerish individual who imagines himself only next to God in importance.

The Legislature is an arm of government deserving of respect and honour.

Granted that the manner of the emergence of some of those who are there now may have been undemocratic and that you may have had to pay good money to buy votes for most of them, the truth is that ultimately the people voted for them all too in much the same way that they voted for you.

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.

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.

You showed your contempt and utter disdain for the leadership and members of the House when you charged in there like a bull telling the whole world that they lied and were only trying to blackmail your government.

Granted that there were no reptilian contingencies as widely reported particularly in the manner in which it was alleged, truth be told, that structure needs more than repairs. It needs to be evacuated, pulled down and another built from scratch. At the very least, that building must be given a comprehensive renovation and face lift.

As I said in another forum, I cannot in fair conscience hold your government responsible for whatever that structure is now.

I hold past administrations who were there for six and eight years respectively responsible.

However, you must realize that you also have a duty to look towards that establishment and ensure that a befitting edifice is built for it.

It may not bring you the immediate political and possibly financial dividends that road construction would but, if you do this, your name will forever be cast in gold and future generations of members will speak of you as we speak of Baba Ajasin of blessed memory today.

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.

Ile nyo….(life is delicate )

A word, they say…….! ”