A factional Speaker of the Ekiti State House of Assembly, Hon. Dele Olugbemi, has alleged that leaders of the All Progressives Congress are inducing him with money in order to support the plot to remove Governor Ayo Fayose from office.
Olugbemi, however, vowed that members of the Peoples Democratic Party in the state, lawmakers elected on the platform of the PDP and the people of the state are ready to shed their blood to defend Fayose.
Olugbemi, who spoke on Monday at a press conference at the Speaker’s Lodge, alleged that he was invited to Osun and Lagos States for meetings by APC leaders where he was induced with money in order to support the impeachment move.
Olugbemi did not however disclose those that held the meetings with him or how much he was offered to support the plot.
When asked, he said the time is not yet ripe to disclose the names of the APC leaders but warned that if they do not stop the impeachment move, he would disclose details of the meetings.
He warned those he alleged were throwing stones from Lagos and Osun States to desist or be ready to incur the wrath of the people of the state.
He said: “Governor Ayodele Fayose was elected to govern Ekiti State for four years and those throwing stones to Ekiti State from Lagos and Osun States are warned to desist, lest they incur the wrath of Ekiti people.
“Having been defeated in the entire 16 local government areas of Ekiti State in five elections (governorship, presidential, senatorial, House of Representatives and House of Assembly) within 10 months, it should behove on the APC lawmakers and their sponsors that they are not wanted in Ekiti State.”
While cautioning factional Speaker Adewale Omirin and his colleagues in the APC to toe decency and abide by the rule of law in resolving Fayose’s impeachment, Olugbemi said the move by Omirin to discontinue the case he filed challenging his impeachment as speaker was still on and should therefore wait until the final determination of the court.
He said nothing would be done about the Notice of Discontinuance until the next hearing date of the suit, which is April 25, 2015.
Asked to disclose who were at the said Lagos meeting and how much was offered him, Olugbemi said it was not yet time to make such information public.
He said: “I was invited to a meeting in Lagos by some APC leaders and I told my governor and colleagues about the invitation before I went to attend it.
“There, they thought I would compromise.
“They planned to get at Governor Fayose through me.
“Their plan is that if I cooperate with them and the governor and his deputy are removed, Omirin will be made acting governor and I will still be speaker, but I refused.
“Lagos is enjoying peace, Osun is enjoying peace, why should we collude with people whose states are enjoying peace to cause trouble in my own state.
“We must remember the 1983 episode in the state after that year’s general elections when many people were killed and properties destroyed.
“That must not be allowed to repeat itself in our dear state again.”
Olugbemi added that Omirin’s suits challenging his removal as speaker were still pending in court and that the one Omirin wanted to discontinue would be heard on April 25, 2015.
The suit in question is FHC/L/CS/1823/2014 filed at a Federal High Court in Lagos.
The other case is FHC/ABJ/CS/885/2014 pending before a Federal High Court in Abuja.
The Abuja suit is being transferred to Ekiti State over issue of jurisdiction.
Olugbemi noted that while Omirin wants to discontinue the Lagos case, when the matter resumes on April 25, he and other defendants would oppose the move.
He, however, added that the court reserves the right to allow for a discontinuation of the matter or not.
He said: “The implications of the above are: Omirin is in court challenging his impeachment.
“Therefore, he cannot lay claim to being the Speaker of the Ekiti State House of Assembly until the court determines the suit.
“Doing so, as he has been doing, amounts to subjudice and an attempt to over-reach the court.
“By discontinuing with the case, Omirin has accepted the action of the state House of Assembly, removing him as Speaker.
“Head or tail, I remain the Speaker of the Ekiti State House of Assembly.”
Olugbemi also warned Omirin to stop impersonating the Office of the Speaker of the Ekiti State House of Assembly and toe the path of honour.
Follow The Eagle Online Channel on WhatsApp
