The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has warned the All Progressives Congress (APC) to stop what it described as APC’s nefarious plot to impeach the Ekiti State Governor, Ayo Fayose.
The PDP, therefore, warned APC to back off or face dire consequences.
The PDP explained that the plot was to invade the Ekiti State Government House and tamper with documents of evidence regarding how APC rigged the recently concluded governorship election in the state.
In a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, yesterday, the PDP said the impeachment plot was being planned by the APC in connivance with the police.
The PDP, however, warned that such plots would amount to “a recipe for crisis in the peaceful state.”
According to the statement, “The PDP is aware that the plot is a desperate bid by the APC to rush into the Ekiti Government House to remove and tamper with documents and evidence confirming the rigging of the July 14 governorship election, ahead of the sitting of the election tribunal.
“Having realized that there is no way their daylight robbery at the poll can stand in the court; the APC is now employing all desperate means to subvert the course of justice.
“This explains why a detachment of the police can be hurriedly deployed to besiege the Ekiti State Assembly Complex, last night without a formal request by the Speaker, the Clerk or the Sergeant-at-Arms, who is the chief security officer of the complex.
“The PDP states that any resort to underhand measures to impeach Fayose, without the constitutionally required 2/3 of the members of the House, particularly at this time, when the lawmakers are currently on their annual recess, will surely be resisted by our members.
Accusing the APC of “plotting crisis all over the nation and resorting to the use of harassment, intimidation and brute force against the people and our democratic institutions,” the PDP warned that “these dispositions of APC and its Federal Government portend grave danger for our nation.
“Now that the political and parliamentary establishment of the Ekiti House of Assembly has loudly declared that they do not require the services of the detachment of policemen, PDP charges the APC to immediately withdraw their armed agents from the premises of the House of Assembly.
“The PDP urges the judiciary to be firm in standing by the truth on the Ekiti election and not be cowed or intimidated by the threats and pressure coming from the APC.
“Nigerians know the truth regarding the rigging of the Ekiti guber election by the APC and are now looking up to the judiciary for justice in the matter,” the statement added.
Meanwhile, the Ekiti State House of Assembly has raised the alarm over alleged deployment of heavily armed policemen to the premises of the House without an official request.
However, when journalists visited the Assembly as of 10.00 am, the policemen have been withdrawn and the premises kept under lock and key.
The Speaker of the Assembly, Hon Kola Oluwawole, who briefed newsmen in Ado Ekiti, yesterday, said the anti-riot policemen were deployed around 9 pm on Wednesday.
Oluwawole, who addressed newsmen in company of 17 other members, accused members who defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC) prior to the July 14 governorship election as being responsible for the act.
The Speaker said one of the defected lawmakers allegedly forged a letter purportedly written by the Clerk, Mr. Tola Esan and addressed to the Police Commissioner, Mr. Bello Ahmed calling for the deployment when such was unwarranted.
The former Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) lawmakers; Hon Gboyega Aribisogan, Sunday Akinniyi and Ebenezer Alagbada, decamped to APC owing to irreconcilable differences with Governor Ayodele Fayose.
Oluwawole drew the attention of the public to the antics of the opposition and their alleged resolve to cause confusion in the Assembly, saying there will be no legislative duty in the assembly until members resume from recess on October 8, 2018.
The Speaker ordered indefinite closure of the House pending the time security of lawmakers and staff of the hallowed chamber can be guaranteed.
Oluwawole said the Assembly in a letter dated July 26 and addressed to the CP, had lodged complaints of forgery against Hon. Aribisogan , and his call for illicit deployment of policemen in the assembly describing the action as not only shocking but a travesty in the country’s democratic history.
He said the Clerk of the House, Mr. Tola Esan, had on July 26 written a similar letter, dissociating himself from the letter purportedly written by him requesting police cover at the Assembly, urging the police authority to conduct unfettered investigations into the issue and bring the culprits to justice.
The Speaker said: “This is strange in democracy, for lawmakers to wake up and see unauthorised police deployment in the legislative arm of government. On Wednesday at about 9 pm, police authority deployed two detachments of heavily armed policemen to the premises of the Assembly. This came to us as a shock, because we are in recess and such action was unwarranted.
“The Assembly and the Clerk had reacted to a letter purportedly written by the latter calling for police deployment. We have told police authority in clear terms that such document should be treated like a forged document because the Clerk could not have written any official letter without consulting with me; he worked closely with my office as a Speaker.
“Before now, we had it on good authority that police were planning to provide cover for the three defected lawmakers to perpetrate violence in the Assembly and cause confusion as well as endanger the lives of our staff.
“As we speak, the lives of our people are no longer safe, because the police and APC thugs have laid siege to Ekiti Assembly and under this circumstance, our staff are no longer safe and we declare indefinite closure of the Assembly pending the time security can be guaranteed.
“We have not recovered from the harassment and abduction of our members by police during the July 14 election. But let me say expressly that such strange police deployment was unsolicited, unwarranted and ultra vires”, he said.
Lending credence to the Speaker’s position, the Chairman, House Committee on Information, Hon. Samuel Omotoso, said 23 members of the Assembly were behind the Speaker and Governor Fayose.
“As you can see, we have 23 members of PDP out of 26 solidly behind the Speaker and our governor. We hereby pass votes of confidence on their leadership. We remain unshaken in our resolve to protect democracy.
“You can see that 18 of us are here, but the Deputy Speaker, Hon. Sina Animasaun and Hon. Dada Celilcia, are in Lagos on official assignments, while Hon Titi Owolabi has just lost her hubby, Hon Ojo Ade Fajana is out of the country and Hon Tope Fasanmi travelled with the governor to Abuja, so we are united and strong”.
When called to react to the allegation, the Police Public Relations Officer, Mr. Caleb Ikechukwu could not be reached, as his mobile phone was switched off.