Ousted Speaker of the Ekiti State House of Assembly, Hon. Adewale Omirin, has said that the 19 All Progressives Congress lawmakers of the assembly will soon storm the National Assembly to report Governor Ayo Fayose over the alleged stoppage of their salaries and other entitlements.
Omirin, who also accused Fayose of foiling attempts to resume their legislative work, further said the governor was responsible for the rumour making the rounds that he (Omirin) was being misled by leaders of the party (APC) to confront the executive arm in the undertaking he signed before the state Police Commissioner, Taiwo Lakanu, on Tuesday.
Speaking in an interview with journalists in Aisegba Ekiti on the crisis bedeviling the House, Omirin said the APC legislators had no option but to report Fayose to the House of Representatives for illegally stopping them from performing their legislative duties and withholding their salaries and other allowances.
Fayose and the Speaker of the House, Hon. Dele Olugbemi, in their reactions described Omirin as a confused person.
Fayose in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Idowu Adelusi, said: “Omirin and other APC lawmakers who have sent themselves on self exile have become inconsequential in Ekiti politics and should enjoy their exile life and wait for the court to decide their case.
“Omirin and his co-travellers cannot hold the state to ransom. The propaganda they are doing is to impress their pay masters because they are broke but these pay masters are too busy with campaign to send money to them.
“Any attempt by them to cause crisis in the state would be resisted by the people. Our candid advice to Omirin and his co-travellers is to remain where they are to enjoy their exile. But those having murder cases should surrender themselves for trial.”
Omirin at the parley said it was quite unfortunate that Fayose had no genuine love for
Ekiti State people by allegedly imposing on the populace Olugbemi, whom he described as an “illiterate” and “money monger”.
He said: “We have contacted the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Aminu Tambuwal, on the need to have an interface with us.
“They are reconvening next week and we will be there to state our own position.
“I believe something will be done over this illegality.
“Governor Fayose has no power under the law to stop our salaries.
“We belong to a different arm of government and he has no reason to act in this most unlawful way.”
Omirin added that he never requested for Christmas gift from the governor contrary to what Fayose fed the public with.
He said such allegation was petty and flies in the face of commonsense.
He said: “I want the CP, Mr. Taiwo Lakanu, to publish what I wrote in the undertaking whether I said I was being misled by APC leaders.
“I cannot be teleguided by anybody at 59.
“My dealings with Fayose since he was sworn-in had made me realize that his government was founded on falsehood and blackmail.
“I have tried with my colleagues to reach a truce with Fayose, but each time we made efforts, what we used to see was a petition to all security agencies blackmailing us that we were planning to invade the state with thugs and security would be stationed everywhere to stop us.
“On the New Year day, Fayose called me for new year’s greetings and he jocularly requested for his Christmas gifts, to which I quickly replied that he should be the one to give me Christmas gifts.
“I found it so funny to read on the pages of newspapers that Fayose said I requested for Christmas gifts.
“How can somebody whose salary has not been paid for months and never requested for it will now be asking for ordinary bag of rice as Christmas gift?
“This is petty and I won’t be part of it.”
In his reaction, Olugbemi said: “It shows that Omirin is an inconsistent person. He was with the Commissioner of Police yesterday and promised to work for the peaceful resolution of the crisis and today he is singing another song capable of heating up the polity, but as for me, I am totally for peace and would not do anything that would work against the progress of the state.”
Also inn Wednesday, the Ekiti Movement for Good Governance told the embattled APC lawmakers to perish to thought of coming to the state unless they apologise to the people they abandoned after electing them to legislate for the development of the State.
The group also said Omirin and his “runaway” colleagues cannot be trusted to maintain peace in the House of Assembly.
In a statement signed by its Secretary, Dr. Abiodun Aina, the EMGG said they will mobilise Ekiti people to resist the APC lawmakers until they tender an unreserved apology to the people and withdraw their court cases.
“They must withdraw the cases they filed in eight courts outside Ekiti State against the State House of Assembly and apologise to Ekiti people because they cannot be challenging a system in court and still want to be part of the system. The three of them that are facing murder charge must also be ready to submit themselves for trial,” EMGG said.
The group, which described the action of the APC lawmakers as an affront on the people, added: “Omirin and his colleagues can not even be trusted to allow peace to reign.
“It is fact that Omirin told reporter after his meeting with the Police Commissioner on Tuesday, that there was no attempt to assassinate him as against claimed by the APC. The report was sent to various media houses by reporters in Ekiti State at about 2pm yesterday.
“However, at about 7pm the same day, Omirin came up with another press statement, saying that he did not speak with journalists as earlier reported and that there was actually an attempt to assassinate him.
“In other words, two contradictory press statements came from Omirin within five hours, and that to us is a pointer to the fact that he and his colleagues cannot be trusted.
“The State Commissioner of Police, Taiwo Lakanu should therefore by mindful of the fact that he is trying to broker peace with people whose motive is always sinister.
“He should know that he is dealing with a set of people that cannot be trusted and he should just hand-off their matter and allow them to be running from Lagos to Osun States as they have been doing in the last two months.”
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