Female Lawmaker, Adelugba, May Replace Afuye as Ekiti Assembly Speaker

Victor Ogunje in Ado Ekiti

Strong indications emerged in Ekiti State yesterday that a female lawmaker, Hon. Bunmi Adelugba, might replace the late Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Hon. Funminiyi Afuye.

Adelugba, who is currently the Chief Whip, is representing Emure Constituency in the state assembly.

Afuye, who represented Ikere Constituency 1, died on October 19, 2022, after he allegedly suffered cardiac arrest. His body is yet to be interred.

The two term lawmaker died at the age of 66.

A member of the House of Assembly, who spoke to journalist in Ado Ekiti yesterday under a strict condition of anonymity, said that Adelugba’s name was being touted on the strength of being from the South Senatorial District.

The lawmaker added that the general feeling in the assembly was that the south should be allowed to complete Afuye’s term, which was from Ikere Local Government of Ekiti South extraction. 

Another factor that favoured Adelugba was her gender. She would be making history as the first female speaker of the assembly since 1999, if the permutation favoured her.

The source said: “Well, the general feeling in the assembly is that, this current dispensation belongs to Ekiti South in terms leadership as related to the Speakership position, and that the zone must be allowed to complete its tenure.

“The late Afuye was from Ikere Ekiti in Ekiti South Senatorial district and we felt that he would still have been allowed to complete his tenure next year June 6, if he is still in charge, there is no point taking it to another zone.

“The lawmakers felt that since Adelugba is the only principal officer from that zone, that she should be upgraded to the speakership position.

“The Constitution and the Standing Order don’t allow any vacuum in the assembly. We have to appoint anyone speaker before we can sit. Even if we get a speaker protempore, the person can only preside over a plenary sitting.

“It is also good to make Hon. Adelugba as a replacement because she is not returning to the assembly in 2023.

“So, we are optimistic that the speaker will emerge through a rancour-free process to honour our departed speaker, who was like a father and mentor to some of us.”

The source added that there were signals that some lawmakers from Ekiti Central and North Senatorial Districts were also jostling for the coveted seat, but revealed that they were being prevailed upon to drop such ambition in the interest of stability.

The lawmaker, however, refused to mention the names of the interested lawmakers, saying their identities shall be unveiled as intrigues begin to unfold.