Ekiti Assembly shut indefinitely over ‘strange’ police deployment

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policemen have been withdrawn and the premises kept under lock and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 on Thursday 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.