DSS offered us $1m to impeach Fayose -Ekiti lawmakers

Members of the Ekiti State House of Assembly, Tuesday, said they are being coarse and bribed to impeach Governor Ayodele Fayose.

According to the lawmakers, some people claiming to have the backing of the Presidency and the Department State Services have offered the sum of $1 million to some members of the Assembly to perfect the impeachment of the governor, who has been very vocal against the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari.

The lawmakers however vowed not to collaborate with anyone to truncate the government of Governor Fayose, adding that they were prepared to spend the rest of their tenure in DSS cell, instead of joining people that they roundly defeated in five straight elections to cause another political instability in Ekiti State.

The lawmakers stated this when they addressed the media on Tuesday.

Led by the Chairman of the House Committee on Information, Hon Gboyega Aribisogan, the lawmakers said: “In the last four days, eight of our members had been visited by some men, who claimed to be officials of the DSS.

“Our members were told that their names were among those to be arrested and they must ‘cooperate’ if they do not want their bank accounts frozen and be kept in DSS detention indefinitely.”

Read also: Reps summon DSS DG, Daura, for violating Ekiti Assembly

Sounding defiant, the lawmakers vowed that the experience of 2006, in which Assembly members in Ekiti State were hounded in EFCC detention and made to sign impeachment of Governor Fayose on the table of the EFCC Chairman, will never be repeated in the State.

Aribisogan, who had 13 other members of the House of Assembly with him, said: “We are here to inform the public through your various medium the open involvement of men of the Department of State Service (DSS) from Abuja in the plot to unseat our State Governor, Mr Peter Ayodele Fayose.

“Last Friday’s invasion of the State House of Assembly by armed men of the DSS in which four of our members were abducted, has been established to be a prelude to the clandestine plot to coerce members of the House of Assembly to impeach Governor Fayose.

“As at today, even Hon Afolabi Akanni that we were able to confirm was with the DSS in Abuja is being held incommunicado. No one has been given access to him, not even his lawyers and doctors. We do not have any information as to the whereabouts of the other three.

The lawmakers equally claimed that they are aware of the plot to arrest no fewer than 18 of their members with a view to forcing them to sign impeachment notice against Governor Fayose.

“The plot is being hatched by the same elements who masterminded the impeachment of Governor Fayose in 2006, which was eventually declared illegal by the Supreme Court and they are boasting of support of the DSS and the Presidency.

“In the last four days, eight of our member had been visited by some men, who claimed to be officials of the DSS. Our members were told that their names were among those to be arrested and they must “cooperate” if they do not want their bank accounts frozen and be kept in DSS detention indefinitely.

“They went on to promise that proper arrangement had been made for the impeachment of the governor, with a sum of $1 million already earmarked for sharing among “cooperating” assembly members.

“Also, our members were told that they will be provided with soft-landing in the APC if they cooperate. One of them revealed that they promised to make him the Speaker, and eventually the Acting Governor.

“We however wish to tell the plotters of evil against the government of Ayodele Fayose and by extension the people of Ekiti State that we, members of the State House of Assembly are not interested in their evil plot.

“We are prepared to spend the rest of our tenure in DSS cell, instead of joining people that we roundly defeated in five straight elections to cause another political instability in Ekiti State.

“These agents of destabilisation should be reminded of the 2006 episode, which was responsible for Ekiti State having six governors in three years!

“Most importantly, Governor Fayose is our benefactor. He is our leader on whose political strength we are members of the State House of Assembly. We can even be called his stooges, we don’t mind. We will never do anything to jeopardise his interest and be extension, interests of Ekiti people.

“We therefore wish to state unequivocally that we are not interested in any $1 million. “We won’t because of any blood money join forces with enemies of our State, who are desirous of destabilising the State just because they lost power.”

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