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One of the recently
reinstated members of the Oyo State House of Assembly, Nafiu Baale, has
dissociated himself from the actions of his group and expressed a
desire to work with the leadership of the assembly.

Mr Baale, in a
letter addressed to the office of the speaker on Thursday, said he will
not participate in any further actions by those with whom he was
suspended on June 8.

Meanwhile, the
speaker, Olawale Atilola, has threatened to sanction the remaining
eight members if they miss the next plenary on Tuesday.

Speaking on the
floor of the house yesterday, Mr. Atilola said three of the reinstated
lawmakers were sighted in their offices before the sitting but they
deliberately refused to attend the plenary. He however did not specify
what sanction he will employ.

The eight members,
together with Mr Baale, were suspended by the House over a failed
attempt to remove the speaker on June 8. The development also led to
the assault on some of them by political thugs. However,

reprieve came their
way last week when an Oyo State high court, sitting in Ibadan, declared
their suspension null and void, and ordered their immediate
reinstatement.

Since the court’s
pronouncement, the lawmakers have not been able to join their
colleagues for business despite many promises to do so.

Shifting posts

Initially, they
alleged that they could not come to the floor of the house because of
their inability to get copies of the judgment that reinstated them.
They added another twist on Wednesday when they alleged that there were
threats to their lives.

Ademola Adejumobi,
the de facto leader of the group, told journalists that the speaker
called them on phone to warn them against coming to resume as earlier
planned, saying their safety could not be guaranteed. The speaker has
since denied this.

Speaking with journalists yesterday, Mr Adejumobi said the
reinstated lawmakers would, hopefully, join their colleagues next week
after all necessary arrangement on their safety have been put in place.