Men of the Ekiti State Police Command have beefed up security in Ado Ekiti, the capital, and various parts of the state following the impeachment threat by the 19 All Progressive Congress (APC) lawmakers against the state governor, Ayo Fayose.
State police Commissioner, Taiwo Lakanu told newsmen, yesterday, that the command has put up a 24-hour surveillance around Ado Ekiti, the state capital particularly the state House of Assembly.
“Security personnel have been placed on alert while high visibility patrol is being conducted around Ado Ekiti. We know the tension generated must have caused some apprehension, but we are being proactive because the security of lives and property and general peace of the people is our topmost priority. We are leaving no stone unturned to ensure safety of our citizens and for everybody to go about their normal business without fear or harassment,” Lakanu said.
The 19 All Progressives Congress (APC) lawmakers in the Ekiti State House of Assembly had last week initiated moves that may lead to impeachment proceedings against Fayose. The Speaker therefore forwarded a notice of gross misconduct to the governor, with a copy of the notice also being sent to his deputy, Dr. Olusola Eleka.
In the letter entitled, “Re: Notice of Allegations of Gross Misconduct,” sent to Fayose, the APC lawmakers listed eight impeachable offences against the governor.
The offences include impunity, brigandage, stalking and other constitutional breaches including alleged invasion of the House of Assembly with thugs and miscreants, instigating an unconstitutional takeover of the House by seven legislators to sit in contravention of Section 96(2) of the 1999 Constitution, and prevention of the 19 APC legislators from performing their duties with the use of security agents and armed thugs.
Other allegations listed in the notice are: sponsoring an unlawful impeachment process in the house, spending Ekiti State funds without the requisite constitutional approval in contravention of the constitution and running the government without legally constituted Executive Council in contravention of Section 192(2) of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. They also accused the governor of operating an illegal 2014 budget as well as sponsoring and instigating illegal sitting of the House in contravention of Section 96(1) of the Constitution.
Fayose, however, asked the APC lawmakers to stop acting like “jesters”. He described the purported impeachment notice as the “joke of the century.” According to him, the script being acted by the APC is a failed one because no one, no matter how highly placed, will be allowed to test the will of the Ekiti people.
“Ekiti people who are the owners of my mandate will defend it against political usurpers, whom they had rejected twice in the last nine months,” a statement by his Special Assistant on Public Communications and New Media, Lere Olayinka, said.
“Sovereignty belongs to the people and the people of Ekiti State on June 21, 2014, surrendered their sovereignty to me to be their governor for four years. Instead of respecting the wish of Ekiti people, which they again affirmed on March 28 and will further affirm on April 11, the APC people that were rejected in two free and fair elections have been trying all tricks to return to power through the back door. They filed several cases in their bid to stop my inauguration as governor and even committed murder in the process.”
Fayose added: “The Speaker of the State House of Assembly then, Dr Adewale Omirin, was assured of assuming office as Acting Governor and that informed his non-attendance of my inauguration, as he was still hoping that even on October 16, 2014, a court order would be gotten to stop my inauguration. Their evil plots against the mandate of Ekiti people failed then, but up to now, they are not relenting. Today, though Omirin has been duly impeached, he still believes he can be Acting Governor while Dr. Kayode Fayemi that was roundly rejected by Ekiti people is also boasting that he will return to power through the instrumentality of the court.
“However, let me warn the APC as a party to respect the wish of Ekiti people as the PDP and President Goodluck Jonathan respected the wish of Nigerians on the election of Major General Mohammadu Buhari (rtd). Any attempt to undermine the sovereignty of Ekiti people, using whatever instrument will be resisted by the people themselves because power belongs to the people and they have handed it to whom they desire to exercise till October 16, 2018. The APC gladiators in Ekiti should, therefore, emulate President Jonathan and the PDP by waiting till 2018 to try their luck again.”
by Greenstarnetwork admin..
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