Fayose, APC lawmakers disagree over inciting comments

THE 19 All Progressives Congress (APC) lawmakers in the Ekiti State House of Assembly have reacted to yesterday’s broadcast by ‎Governor Ayodele Fayose describing it as “inciting and unfortunate”

Fayose had in a broadcast urged the people to defend their mandates as it was being rumored that the APC lawmakers would sit Monday (today) on the impeachment plot on the governor.

A statement by Special Adviser on Media to Speaker Adewale Omirin, Wole Olujobi, criticizing the governor for precipitating violence in the state said, “How do you reconcile this inciting broadcast with a plea he made for peace not quite 24 hours earlier, which Ekiti people and indeed Nigerians thought was a good move by the governor to thaw the frozen relationship between him and the lawmakers?

This is a confirmation of what Dr. Omirin said in a national newspaper yesterday that the governor cannot be trusted in any peace move,” the statement said.

It expressed regrets over the failure of the governor to embrace the homily by the clergyman in his thanksgiving service where he was admonished to embrace peace with the APC lawmakers by paying their entitlements and seek genuine reconciliation to move the state forward.

“It is shocking that the governor, who refused to make any remark or commitment during the church service after the man of God appealed to him to embrace peace, could go on air few minutes after the church service to start inciting workers, traders, okada riders and artisans‎ to defend him with their last drop of blood.

Reacting to the APC lawmakers’ statement, Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Idowu Adelusi said, “It is the APC that should stop their brigandage ‎approach to destabilise the state.

By the way, where did they derive the power to engage in the rubbish? Did they consult their constituencies who gave them mandate to the house over their dastardly plan to set the state on fire?

“Did their constituencies, which rejected APC thrice in the elections ask them to impeach their governor? It is‎ very clear that the APC legislators are on their own.

However, the lawmakers added, “As if his inciting live broadcast was not enough, Ekiti people were shocked when ‎a public service announcement started running intermittently on the state media urging okada riders to look out for strange faces across the state and attack them because they are thugs that are being imported by APC lawmakers.

They are also to converge on the House of Assembly as early as 6 a.m. on Monday to prevent the lawmakers from performing their legal duties,” the statement added.

Stressing that they were not planning any invasion of the state with thugs, the lawmakers called the attention of Nigerians to the unlawful acts of the governor in his desperate move to ensure that the lawmakers are rendered ineffective in the discharge of their lawful duties.

“We have said umpteenth time that the governor would be given a fair hearing. He has nothing to fear. He should continue to have faith in the Nigerian Constitution. He had just won a constitutional matter at the Supreme Court.

We will apply the same law that the court used to give him victory. He is an Ekiti man. We don’t hope to punish him unjustly,” the statement added.

It stressed that Fayose could not benefit from the law and at the same time prevent other elected representatives of the people from enjoying the same benefit.

“The best he and his deputy can do is to appear before the panel to be set up by the CJ and defend themselves. This is the rule of law, which he has benefited from and there should not be an exception to this,” the statement added.

Adelusi said, “Therefore, it is not out of order if Governor Fayose should inform the owners of the mandate given to him of the APC’s plan to destablise the state so that they can rise to defend their mandate.