Offices, Schools Shuts Down As Fayose Supporters Sacks Ekiti

There was panic in Ado Ekiti on Monday as supporters and members of Governor Ayodele Fayose laid siege to the Ekiti State House of Assembly to prevent the resumption of the 19 All Progressives Congress lawmakers.


Fayose had announced in a statewide broadcast on Sunday that the opposition lawmakers planned to invade the Assembly on Monday to effect the impeachment proceedings against him.
He urged transport unions, market women and workers‎ to rise up to protect the mandate they gave him.

Tension heightened on Monday as many workers returned home while private and public schools failed to reopen for the third term academic session.
However, there were no barricades at entry points to Ado Ekiti as done in the previous protests.

Members of the Peoples Democratic Party, who were mobilised by Caretaker Chairmen in all the 16 Local Government Areas, clustered around the Assembly Complex, watching closely if the APC lawmakers would appear for parliamentary duties.
Only a few workers reported at the State Secretariat in Ado Ekiti, which is close to the complex.
But security agencies were on the ground to ensure peace by frisking vehicles and passers-by.
However, the APC has praised drivers and motorcycle riders associations for refusing to obey the governor’s inciting order to foment trouble over alleged plan by the 19 APC lawmakers to storm the Assembly with thugs to impeach him.
In a statement on Monday, the state’s APC Publicity Secretary, Taiwo Olatubosun, praised the transport workers for their courage and wisdom to stay away from the Assembly.
“We praised the drivers and motorcycle operators for ‎their courage and wisdom. Fayose is used to protecting his own interest and keeping his children in safety while he distributes guns to the children of others to foment trouble.
“The day he was first impeached in 2006, he asked his supporters to meet at Fajuyi to confront the soldiers. It is later that his supporters discovered that the governor had bolted (away) in the booth of his car to safety while his supporters were tear-gassed with several of them wounded,” Olatubosun said.
Meanwhile, all the 25 newly elected PDP House of Assembly lawmakers in Ekiti State on Monday issued a statement, where they alleged that the personal ambition of both embattled Speaker, Adewale Omirin,  and a federal lawmaker, Senator Babafemi Ojudu, was responsible for the aggravation of the ongoing political crisis in the state.
But the Special Adviser on Media to Omirin, Wole Olujobi, has again denied that the Speaker aimed to become the state acting Governor.
He also said Omirin never engaged in any deal with anyone over plan to become the governor, while it was not also true that Ojudu collected money from any one to impeach Fayose in 2006.