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There was tension at the Ogun State House of Assembly, yesterday, as 11 members threatened a showdown with the Speaker of the Assembly, Suraj Adekumbi, over alleged fraudulent award of contracts.
The Assembly comprising 26 members also was thrown into commotion during the plenary session over alleged attempt by the Speaker to manipulate the process of the constitution of a committee to probe the alleged fraud.
we learnt that tender Board was recommended by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Related Offences, ICPC, which recently insisted that due process, must be followed in the award of contracts by the House.
The Speaker had been quizzed few months ago by the ICPC which invited him to its headquarters, following series of petitions on inflations of prices of cars for the lawmakers and principal officers.
However, we leart at the chamber of the house, observed that the attempts by the Speaker to force his loyalist as head of the committee, met with stiff resistance from the 11 opposition members.
The lawmakers while objecting to the nomination of Deputy Speaker, Tola Banjo, as Chairman of the committee, complained about the modus operandi of the process of electing members of the committee.
Trouble started when a report of the House’s Select Committee on the selection of the Tender’s Board was read to the lawmakers for approval.
The report had indicated that Banjo was allegedly imposed as the Chairman of the Board by the Speaker who is the chairman of the Select Committee.
The development drew the anger of other members who vowed to resist the choice of Banjo, described as a stooge of the Speaker.
