The All Progressives Congress in Ekiti State has raised the alarm over threats to the lives of state lawmakers.
It accused the Nigeria Police of partisanship in the state crisis.
A statement by the Publicity Secretary of the party, Taiwo Olatubosun, said the party is shocked by the police undisguised support for Governor Ayodele Fayose so far in the crisis rocking Ekiti State House of Assembly.
Olatubosun criticised the alleged police support for the seven members of the state House of Assembly who are from the Peoples Democratic Party when they sat to ratify the list of Commissioner-nominees and Caretaker members and also the purported removal of the Speaker, Dr. Adewale Omirin, while at the same time they disallowed APC lawmakers access into the Assembly Complex even while allowing non-lawmakers to sit with the PDP seven.
Olatubosun also frowned at the police for taking Fayose’s accusation as its official intelligence report over allegation of a plan by the APC to storm Ekiti State with thugs recruited from a neighboring state to cause mayhem.
Olatubosun said: “It is curious that a day after Governor Fayose’s Chief Press Secretary, Idowu Adelusi, issued a press release accusing APC of plan to storm Ekiti with thugs recruited from a neighbouring state, the police that are supposed to play a neutral role also said in their own press release indicating that the opposition politicians are planning to recruit thugs from a neighbouring state for violence.
“We are not surprised by the police role in Ekiti crisis. The police has been working in cahoots with the governor to sustain illegalities in Ekiti State. The police did nothing when Fayose’s thugs invaded the court to disrupt proceedings in the perjury case. They looked on when judges, lawyers and other court officials were beaten in the court premises while thugs broke into the office of the Chief Judge to tear court records.
“We have it on good record that Fayose specifically requested the police authorities in Abuja to post back to Ekiti all the policemen that he used to terrorise Ekiti people during his first tempestuous term. For instance one of them alias Shaba is in town working for Fayose.
“Just last night, agents of government were in the home of Deputy Speaker, Adetunji Orisalade, as strange men in dark suits visited his Ilogbo-Ekiti home in the night, asking about his whereabouts.
“At Ikere-Ekiti, the same gang in a black jeep with its number plate covered visited the homes of the two lawmakers representing Ikere Local Government, Hon SundayAdu Clement and Hon Yomi Daramola. Sunday morning, we got several reports from each of the 19 Honourable members about similar threats to their lives.”
The APC spokesman added that everyone knows that Fayose is planning to do what he is accusing the opposition of, wondering why a governor would ask the APC lawmakers to return to Ekiti State to cooperate in state’s development and at the same time he is laying land mines on their way to cause mayhem.
“As we talk, PDP thugs are under the tree close to a police post within the Assembly Complex smoking Indian Hemp but the police and DSS are doing nothing about it,” Olatubosun added.
He called the attention of Nigerians to the return of killer squad in Ekiti State and urged the police to live up to their constitutional responsibility of providing security instead of helping to turn Nigeria into a killing field.