Benjamin Omoike
Nigeria, July 11, 3016 – The Ekiti State House of Assembly has called on the international community to help protect democracy in Nigeria, following what it described as “incessant harassment of top functionaries of the State government, members of the House of Assembly, and members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the State” by security agents from the Federal Government.
In a statement issued on Sunday and signed by the Speaker, Rt. Hon. Kolawole Oluwawole, the lawmakers said “harassing PDP members in Ekiti State, government officials and members of the State House of Assembly will not help democracy in Nigeria and the international community should help Nigeria to sustain Democracy by calling the APC-led Federal Government to order.”
The administration of Governor Ayodele Fayose said that 20 policemen were about to arrive the State from Lagos to begin indiscriminate arrest of some officials of the government.
Fayose’s office repeated the Governor’s earlier argument that the Federal Government was trying to destabilise Ekiti to install a new government two years after the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) suffered a crushing defeat at the polls.
Fayose convincingly won the 2014 governorship election in the State, winning all the 16 Local Government Councils and forcing former Governor Kayode Fayemi to concede defeat. A year after that election, following the release of an audio tape that purportedly contained discussions about plans by Fayose to rig the election, the APC changed its position and argued that the election was rigged.
Last month, Governor Fayose’s personal bank account was frozen by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on suspicions that the money found in it was received illegally. It might have been the first time the bank account of a governor in office was frozen in Nigeria, and Fayose has alleged that President Buhari is trying to silence him.
Governor Fayose has been dubbed critic-in-chief of President Buhari. The EFCC alleged last week that houses belonging to Fayose have been uncovered across the country. But the governor has said that the EFCC is being used by the Federal Government to silence opponents.
The Fayose administration has petitioned the EFCC over billions allegedly stolen by former Governor Kayode Fayemi who is now the Minister of Solid Minerals in the Buhari administration. But so far no action has been taken.
On Sunday, the lawmakers said “plotters of evil against Governor Ayodele Fayose and his government must know that we in the House of Assembly will not present ourselves to be used against our governor. They should know that even if we are arrested and detained for one year, we won’t collaborate with those plotting evil against Governor Fayose.”
The lawmakers added: “If two years after losing a free, fair and credible election and exploring all legal options up to the Supreme Court, some people are still running from the Army, DSS, EFCC and Police, writing frivolous petitions, law enforcements agencies in the country, especially the police should be mindful of turning itself to tool in the hands of those who are obviously out to truncate democracy in Ekiti State.”
“Nigerians should be reminded that the DSS has earlier been used to invade the State House of Assembly with a member of the House, Afolabi Akanni abducted and detained for 18 days without any offence.
“Despite these harassments however, we will remain undaunted in our unflinching support for the our governor, Mr. Peter Ayodele Fayose and wish to state that freedom of thought and expression is guaranteed by the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, and in exercising this right, Governor Fayose won’t be intimidated by any agency of the Federal Government.”
