Ekiti, Police differ over alleged plan to arrest lawmakers, PDP leaders

Ekiti State Government and the Nigeria Police disagreed yesterday over the former’s allegation of a plan to arrest top officials of the government, leaders of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and members of the State House of Assembly over the roles they played during the June 21, 2014 governorship election won by Governor Ayodele Fayose.

The alleged plan to arrest them from today (Monday) was based on petitions by the All Progressives Congress (APC) that lost the election.

The government said that the 20 policemen to be led by one ACP Olusola Oke, a native of Isan Ekiti, left Alagbon, Lagos yesterday morning by 9 a.m. for Ekiti in three white coloured Toyota Hummer buses.

However, when The Guardian contacted the Nigeria Police in Alagbon, its spokesman, Friday Archibong told our correspondent in a terse message that there was no iota of truth in the allegation.

Archibong replied tersely: “There is no plan by policemen in Alagbon to go to Ekiti State. There is no truth in that report.”

The Special Assistant to the State Governor on Public Communications and New Media, Lere Olayinka, the government had alleged that distinguished lawyer, “Femi Falana (SAN), senior APC leaders from the state like Senator Babafemi Ojudu, Yinka Akerele and others were coordinating the arrest to destabilise the state because of Governor Fayose’s perceived opposition to the inhuman policies of the Federal Government.”

“We have been reliably informed that the latest onslaught against the PDP government of Mr Fayose is to begin on Monday, using the police to arrest top government officials, PDP leaders across the 16 local councils and members of the House of Assembly,” the government alleged.

Olayinka alleged, “ACP Olusola Oke, who is to lead the over 20 policemen to carry out the operation is said to be a native of Isan Ekiti, hometown of the Minister of Solid Minerals, Dr. Kayode Fayemi. ACP Olusola Oke is equally the immediate past Assistant Commissioner in charge of Operations and now the AC X-Squad, FCID, Abuja.”

In a related development, members of Ekiti State House of Assembly have condemned the 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 with security agents, saying the new Inspector General of Police (IGP), Ibrahim Idris should be mindful of allowing the police under him to be used to truncate democracy.

According to a statement issued yesterday, and signed by the Speaker Kolawole Oluwawole, he 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 lawmakers said it was becoming ridiculous that the APC was still making issues out of an election that the party lost two years ago, adding that “plotters of evil against Governor Ayodele Fayose and his government must know that we in the House of Assembly will not make ourselves available to be used against our governor. They should know that even if we are arrested and detained for one year, we wouldn’t collaborate with those plotting evil against Governor Fayose.”