By; Bayo Akamo, Ibadan.
Members of the Ekiti State House of Assembly wednesday raised the alarm of an alleged plan to truncate the Governor Ayodele Fayose led Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) administration in the state.
Addressing a press conference at the Oyo NUJ press centre in Ibadan, Chairman of the House Committee on Information, Youths and Sports, Hon. Gboyega Aribisogan alleged President Muhammadu Buhari and the All Progressives Congress (APC) of being behind the plans.
According to Honourable Aribisogan who was flanked by Deputy Speaker of the House, Hon. Adewumi Olusegun who led other lawmakers to the venue of the press conference, President Buhari and the APC should leave Ekiti State alone so as not to truncate the nation’s growing democracy.
The lawmakers pointed out that despite the arrest and the detention of a member of the house, Hon. Afolabi Akanni for 18 days, the APC led federal government are now allegedly using some Policemen from Abuja to hunt and arrest no fewer that 11 members of the House as well as some top PDP functionaries in the state.
“No amount of intimidation, arrest detention, harassment and monetary inducement will make us dance to the tune of those whose interest is to truncate the Fayose-led government and return to power through the backdoor. The assignment the Police were brought to Ekiti State to carry out was to embark on indiscrimnate arrest of top functionaries of the PDP and the State government, including 11 members of the State House of Assembly, he said.
Speaking further, he said “we are aware that this plot is as a result of the failure of the Department of State Service (DSS) to coerce members of the House of Assembly to impeach Governor Ayodele Fayose just because of his criticism of the obnoxious policies of President Muhammadu Buhari’s APC government”.
“We know that democracy is now been threatened, we don’t want that, we see them as anti democracy, that is why we are calling all those that suffered for the democracy to rise up and challenge this injustice.
“Very soon, if this is not challenged they will come to the press, remember decree 4, that is why we are saying everybody should challenge this, if Honorable Members cannot have freedom, what about other ordinary Nigerians. No matter the level of intimidation, we are not going to be intimidated”.
He maintained that members of the Ekiti House of Assembly “have approached the National Assembly on the issue of DSS” adding, “this particular threat to the whole legislature is a new one”.
“We are calling on everybody that we should protect this democracy, because when we allow autocracy to thrive, anyone could be arrested. Everybody should understand that human right activists are no where to be found, there is conspiracy of silence from the other angle, the only hope is the press”.
