Ekiti Assembly shut as APC lawmakers resurface
Ekiti Assembly shut as APC lawmakers resurface
In a dramatic turn of event, the 19 All Progressives Congress, APC, members in the 26-man Ekiti State House of Assembly surfaced at the House of Assembly complex yesterday after being locked out since November 17 last year.
The Dr Adewale Omirinled lawmakers, who held a session that lasted about 10 minutes, arrived in the complex in a convoy of 14 vehicles about 11:30am and entered plenary.
However, to safeguard lives, apprehensive staff of the Assembly picked up their belongings and rushed out of the complex.
Omirin, the speaker before his purported impeachment by seven members of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, lawmakers, which elected Dele Olugbemi in his place, spoke on behalf of members after the session.
He said the APC lawmakers were in the Assembly to begin their legislative duty, describing Olugbemi as an impostor.
Omirin said: “Why are you surprised that we are here? I don’t expect you to be surprised that we are in our offices because we are duly elected as members of the House of Assembly.
“This is my office and I shouldn’t be asked why I am here. Though, we have instituted a case against the seven lawmakers for the fake impeachment against me, but that would not prevent us from doing what we are supposed to do.”
He, however, said their return to the Assembly was not prompted by the victory of Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, adding, “it is a mere coincidence. Although I have not been here since November, that does not mean I have not been performing my duties.
“So, whether Buhari is declared winner or not, we have to do our work. I have been attending Speakers’ meetings in Abuja and attending to my people at my constituency, so we haven’t abdicated our duty,” the speaker said.
However, Police Commissioner, Mr. Taiwo Lakanu, who led a detachment of security agents to the Assembly to save the situation from degenerating, ordered closure of the complex.
Consequently, stern-looking policemen and soldiers took over the complex.
However, the factional Speaker, Olugbemi, criticised the police commissioner for shutting the Assembly.
“I don’t think it was right to have closed the Assembly. We have the capacity to contain the APC lawmakers. We are ready to meet them fire for fire,” he said.
But Lakanu said he took the action to prevent violence in the state, saying the police must be proactive to prevent the state from being plunged into crisis.
It will be recalled that Omirin and the remaining 18 APC lawmakers had stayed away from the Assembly grounds since November 17 last year when the seven lawmakers loyal to Governor Ayodele Fayose took over.
Subsequently, Omirin was impeached by the seven lawmakers on November 20, 2014 and Olugbemi was elected the new Speaker
0 comments: