The people of Ondo East/Ondo West Federal Constituency of Ondo State have begun the process of recalling the representative of the constituency at the House of Representatives, Abiola Makinde, over alleged non-performance.
The constituents, under the auspices of the Ekimogun Roundtable, alleged that Makinde, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, abandoned its legislative duties for several months and relocated abroad for unknown reasons.
The group, in a statement by its acting Secretary, Christiana Ayodele. which was made available to our correspondent on Monday, alleged that the National Assembly office of the lawmaker had been under lock and key while the constituency had been without any representation at the lower chamber of the National Assembly.
According to the statement, over 30 legal practitioners across the country had indicated interest in offering free legal services to challenge the action of the lawmaker.
The statement read, “In a massive show of solidarity to what they described as audacious leadership and legislative accountability project embarked upon by the Ekimogun Roundtable aimed at strengthening the country’s struggling representative democracy, 30 legal practitioners from across the country and different spheres of the country’s legal profession have indicated interest to offer free legal services to the Roundtable in order to assist in its legislative enquiry and likely judicial processes.
“The Ekimogun Roundtable, a socioeconomic group of all Ondo indigenes from across the world, alleged that Abiola Makinde, the House of Representatives member representing Ondo East/West Federal Constituency in the 10th National Assembly, abdicated his legislative duties for months during the legislative session and relocated abroad with his National Assembly constituency office under lock and key, thereby rendering the entire constituency without representation for the period under review.
“The Roundtable further alleged massive disparity in constituency fund/projects allotment to the constituency on paper and actual physical projects execution, which further put question marks on the integrity of those around the community’s constituency projects procurement process at the green chamber of the National Assembly.
“The Ondo East/West Federal Constituency has never had it this bad in terms of legislative performance since the advent of democracy such that critical issues of great national importance like the national budget, and the National Anthem Act, among others, will be discussed at the hallowed chamber without the input of the good people of the constituency.”
The statement added that the group had written to the National Assembly requesting the plenary attendance record of Makinde to ascertain his compliance with the relevant sections of the Nigerian Constitution and the House of Representatives Standing Rules on plenary attendance.
However, all efforts to reach the embattled federal lawmaker on the telephone were not successful as he did not pick up the calls made to his line, while the text message sent to him was not replied to as of the time of filing this report.