By Ismaheel Kola
The Osun State House of Assembly has reportedly suspended the receipt of letters from civil society organisations and right based groups on the status of the Judicial Officers in the state, after it passed a bill on the tenure elongation for Judges in the state judiciary.
It was gathered that the parliament has ceased to entertain letters from the public on anything related to Judges in the state.
The lawmakers had recently passed into law the bill extending the retirement age of Judges and other Judicial officers for 65 to 70, which was widely reported.
Furthermore, it was gathered that the Assembly has directed the suspension of media houses who reported the story from the parliament’s press corps.
The story reported widely on the National Dailies two weeks ago had the speaker, Hon. Adewale Egbedun, confirming the readiness of the bill for transfer to Governor Ademola Adeleke for assent.
The bill is entitled “Osun State Hiugh Court and Customary Court of Appeal Registars, Secretary to the State Judicial Council, State Counsels in the Ministry of Justice, State Magistrates and District Customary Court Presidents Retirement Age Bill (2023.)”
Earlier, the resolution of the Osun Assembly sitting on 16th November, 2023, the House resolved that the Executive should be informed of the House resolution and that the next in order of seniority to Justice Adepele Ojo be sworn-in immediately to avoid any vacuum in the third arm of government in Osun State.
Osun Governor Ademola Adeleke approved the resolution of the Osun State House of Assembly asking the Osun State Chief Judge, Adepele Ojo to step aside pending investigation of allegations of misconduct, abuse of power, corruption and disregard for rule of law against her by the House of Assembly.
Speaking to THE SOURCE Adedayo Afolabi expressed his experience when visited the Osun State House of Assembly on Tuesday to dispatch letter on behalf of the Committee For the Defence of Human Rights (CDHR) at speaker office.
Afolabi narrated, ”Upon my arrival at the Speaker’s office, I met two individuals, presumably staff members, who stood firm in their refusal to accept the letter. Despite my insistence that it’s not ethical for public office to reject letters from the public, the men remained resolute, asserting their inability to receive the document.
“One of the men told me “If not because I knew you before, I knew what to do,” leaving room for speculation regarding the potential of him beating me, if he didn’t know me.
“I also inquired about the lack of responses to previously submitted letters from the CDHR, and one of the men at the office retorted, stating that they saw no reason to reply to the organization’s letters.
Also speaking, the chairman of Human Rights, Comr. Emmanuel Olowu bemoaned the action of the Secretary to the office of Osun State Speaker, RT. Hon Adewale Egbedun for rejecting the letter at the public office.
A release by with headlines “Our experience in the office of the speaker of the Osun State House Of Assembly Rt. Hon Adewale Egbedun in the cause of dispatch of official letter to the office of the speaker
“We of the above-name organization write to bring to the attention of all media personnel the act of rejection of an official letter directed to the office of the speaker of the Osun State House of Assembly on the 19th of December 2023 at about 03: 46pm titled
“Commendation For The Domestication Of Elongation Of The Retirement Age Bill For Judges And Judiciary Personnel In Osun State And A Call For Strict Adherence To Policy Guidelines. Which was rejected with all acts of impunity, a show of ego by the personnel who are to receive the documents by stating that they are at liberty to receive, reject or reply to any letter even if it’s official
“To further confirm the act Olowu Emmanuel, the chairman of the organization personally returned to dispatch the letter on the 20th of December 2023 and the same was the experience, before the intervention of the office of the clerk of the House of Assembly who intervened before the letter was collected and acknowledged by the office of the speaker of the Osun State house of assembly
‘It should be noted that one of the aids of Mr Speaker stated even in the presence of the men of the Nigerian Police who are attached to the office of the speaker that he should have assaulted our comrade if not for the fact that he knows him personally, which to us is a clear indication that Mr. speaker and his aids, in their imagination as turn the assembly to their personal property
“As an organization, we are calling the attention of the media to this ugly situation and urge the media houses to investigate and report on this matter, shedding light on the potential consequences for democratic processes in Nigeria because the people have a right to know about actions that impact the democratic fabric of their society.
“To us, the act of rejection of official letters within the legislative arm will have profound implications for Nigeria’s democracy. Because It undermines the principles of open governance and the accessibility of elected representatives by the public.
“We believe that it is of utmost importance for the media to be informed about such incidents, as your role in disseminating information is crucial to fostering public awareness and holding those in positions of power accountable.
