ABEOKUTA—FACTIONAL Speaker of the Ogun State House of Assembly; Mr. Emmanuel Soyemi Coker yesterday affirmed that the change of leadership in the Ogun State House of Assembly was legal and did not contravene any law of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

Reacting to a motion passed by the Federal House of Representatives yesterday in Abuja directing the National Assembly to take over legislative functions in Ogun State should the House fail to sit within seven days, Coker stated that the members who supported the motion were perhaps not properly briefed about the processes that led to the change of leadership in the State House of Assembly.

Coker in a statement by his Special Assistant on Media; Mr. Ayo Giwa,  said: “For record purposes, let me once again state that nine members of the Ogun State House of Assembly sat on September 6 and not eight as being insinuated. Nine members of the 26-member legislature forms the quorum to sit and to do all legislative businesses of the day.

A quorum was formed on that day and we settled down for business with the Clerk of the House in attendance and the legislative staffers that recorded the day’s proceedings.

Again, Hon. Tunji Egbetokun was suspended and not removed or impeached. He still has the option of defending himself before the Committee of the whole House or go to court to seek redress. Since there cannot be a vacuum in the House leadership, a Speaker has to be in place and that was what led to my emergence.

Legislative businesses are going on in form of oversight functions and Committee meetings.”

Coker also wondered how the Federal House of Representatives could call for take-over of legislative business of the Ogun State House of Assembly without setting up a fact-finding Committee to investigate the immediate and remote causes of the whole scenario before coming to such conclusion.