Lawmakers decry planned police invasion of Ekiti, urge IGP, international community to protect democracy

7 years ago

Lawmakers decry planned police invasion of Ekiti, urge IGP, international community to protect democracy

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.
The lawmakers, who described the latest attempt to invade the State by
20 policemen led by one ACP Olusola Oke, a native of Isan Ekiti,
hometown of Minister of Solid Minerals and former Governor of the
State, Dr Kayode Fayemi as an assault on democracy, added that the new
IGP must emulate his immediate past predecessor by rejecting pressure
from APC leaders from Ekiti State to use the police to cause chaos in
the State just because they lost an election that was adjudged as
free, fair and credible.

According to a statement issued on Sunday, and signed by the Speaker,
Rt. Hon. Kolawole Oluwawole, the lawmaker 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.”

They 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 present
ourselves to be used against our governor. They should know that even
if we are arrested and detained for one year, we won’t collaborate
with those plotting evil against Governor Fayose.”

“If two years after losing a free, fair and credible election and
exploring all legal options up to the Supreme Court, some people are
still running from the Army, DSS, EFCC and Police, writing frivolous
petitions, law enforcements agencies in the country, especially the
police should be mindful of turning itself to tool in the hands of
those who are obviously out to truncate democracy in Ekiti State.

“The IGP should rather ask, what is the sense in writing over 100
petitions over an election conducted in just 16 local councils and was
adjudged as free, fair and credible even by International Observers,
including the United States Government. Nobody was slapped not to talk
being killed during the election.

“Nigerians should be reminded that the DSS has earlier been used to
invade the State House of Assembly with a member of the House, Afolabi
Akanni abducted and detained for 18 days without any offence.

“Despite these harassments however, we will remain undaunted in our
unflinching support for the our governor, Mr Peter Ayodele Fayose and
wish to state that freedom of thought and expression is guaranteed by
the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, and in exercising
this right, Governor Fayose won’t be intimidated by any agency of the
federal government.

“No amount of intimidation, arrest, detention, harassment and monetary
inducement will make us dance to the tune of those whose only interest
is to truncate the Fayose-led government and return to power through
the backdoor.

“Nigerians should be reminded that these APC elements lost election in
June 2014 and they lost four other elections in 2015. They should stop
trying to get to power through the backdoor. They should stop this
harassment, intimidation and use of federal power to oppress innocent
Nigerians.

”Finally, we wish to tell those behind these evil plots against the
government and people of Ekiti State that like every of their previous
plots, they have failed.”