A Federal High Court sitting in Ado Ekiti has summoned the Speaker of Ekiti State House of Assembly, Kola Oluwawole, for allegedly disobeying its order to swear in Toyin Obayemi as the lawmaker for Ado constituency 1.
The court has ordered Oluwawole to appear before it on November 17 and explain why he should not be committed to prison for contempt of court.
The contempt charge was contained in form 48 issued by the Federal High Court, Ado Ekiti which was made available to our reporter on Sunday and signed by the court’s Senior Registrar and Obayemi’s counsel, Olayinka Sokoya.
The form 48 marked FHC/AD/CS/17/2015 was entitled: “Notice of Consequence of Disobedience of Order of Court.”
It reads: “Take notice that unless you comply with the judgment of this Honourable Court delivered on this case on the 4th day of July, 2016 by Honourable Justice Taiwo Taiwo, you will be guilty of contempt of court and will be liable to be committed to prison.”
The court in a judgment delivered by Justice Taiwo Taiwo on July 4 sacked Musa Arogundade as the Assembly member representing Ado constituency 1 and ordered that Obayemi be sworn in immediately having been found to be the valid candidate for the April 11, 2015 State Assembly election.
The court held that Obayemi who came second in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) primary held in the constituency was the flag bearer after the aspirant who came first, Odunayo Talabi (a.k.a. Arinka) was discovered to have presented fake academic certificates.
The court nullified Talabi’s substitution with Arogundade on grounds that evidence before it showed that he (Arogundade) fraudulently obtained an Abuja Federal High Court order to validate his candidature for the Assembly poll.
Justice Taiwo also ordered Arogundade to refund all salaries and allowances he had collected since the Fifth Assembly was inaugurated on June 5, 2015.
Speaker Oluwawole believed to be acting under the instruction of Governor Ayo Fayose has refused to swear in Obayemi as ordered by the court claiming that Arogundade had filed a stay of execution.
But the stay of execution filed by both Arogundade and Talabi was dismissed by the same court on October 31.
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