The All Progressives Congress (APC) has raised the alarm over a PDP-led
and police-backed acts of impunity in Ekiti State, where only seven
members of the 26-strong House of Assembly on Monday morning convened the
House to carry out an agenda, dictated by Gov. Ayodele Fayose, that
includes the impeachment of the Speaker.
In a statement issued in Abuja on Monday by its National Publicity
Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party said over 200 armed policemen
are currently offering protection to the seven PDP members of the House,
who convened purposely to impeach the Speaker, approve the list of
Commissioners-designate as well as the Caretaker Committees for the local
councils in the state.
”The issue of the Caretaker Committees, which Gov. Ayodele Fayose plans to
swear in on Monday after the illegal approval by the House, is sub judice,
hence the House cannot even discuss it not to talk of acting on it. Also,
while the Governor was advised by the Clerk of the House that seven
members out of 26 do not form a quorum, he said after all, only eight of
24 members in the Plateau House of Assembly impeached then Gov, Joshua
Dariye in 2006!” it said.
APC said that ahead of what is clearly the height of impunity by a
democratically-elected Government, the utility services in the official
residence of the House Speaker, including electricity supply, have been
cut off while his salaries and allowances have been stopped. Others acts
of intimidation have been directed at the Speaker by the state
authorities.
”We know that President Goodluck Jonathan, who is the leader of the PDP,
has elevated impunity to an art, but he has simply overreached himself
with his party’s latest show of shame in Ekiti. The fact that the
President’s body language supports impunity has emboldened officials
elected under the banner of the PDP and appointed by his Administration to
perpetrate acts of impunity with impunity.
”Over 200 policemen could not have been deployed for this illegal act in
Ekiti without the knowledge of the Inspector General of Police. Yet, the
same IG trampled the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria by
assuming the powers of the court to unilaterally withdraw the security
detail of House of Representatives Speaker Aminu Tambuwal.
”Can the IG claim not to be aware that his men are offering protection to
only seven out of the 26 members of the Ekiti House of Assembly? Does he
honestly believe it is part of the responsibility of the police, which is
being funded by tax payers, to become the enforcement arm of the PDP? Does
he believe that the police that is empowered to enforce the law should
play a lead role in breaking it?” the party queried.
It warned the excitable and depthless Gov. Fayose of Ekiti not to throw
the state into a needless crisis by his trademark tomfoolery.
APC also warned that while a lot of unconstitutional and illegal
activities have taken place under the PDP-led Federal Government,
including the impeachment of then Gov Joshua Dariye of Plateau State by
only eight out of 24 members of the State House of Assembly, any decision
taken by only seven PDP members in the 26-member Ekiti House of Assembly
will not stand.
The party called on the PDP and the Federal Government to stop instigating
crisis in APC-controlled states, saying the PDP-instigated crisis in the
Edo State House of Assembly has yet to subside before the anarchic ruling
party decided to pounce on Ekiti.
”No matter how long it takes, those who are willfully flouting the laws of
the land and engaging in anti-democratic actions will come to justice.
Nothing in the world will justify the subversion of the Constitution by
anyone, especially those who are democratically-elected. We are therefore
warning the puppeteers in Ekiti to put a leash on their dogs of war, and
not to set Ekiti state ablaze over their narrow interests,” it said.