Politics
Ekiti Assembly raises alarm over planned ‘coup’ against House by APC, police
The Speaker of Ekiti State House of Assembly, Kolawole Oluwawole, has raised alarm over alleged invasion of the Assembly complex by armed policemen.
He claimed that the policemen are laying siege on the Assembly complex in order to provide cover for some “miscreants” to perpetrate evil and create chaos in the House of Assembly on Thursday, “thus threatening our democracy and putting the lives of our innocent staff into danger.”
The Speaker stated this in a statement he signed himself and made available to Ripples Nigeria, alleging that there was a sinister plot to break into the Assembly Complex before daybreak (on Thursday) with the intention of making away with the Mace.
The statement read, “A few hours ago, it came to our notice that armed policemen had invaded the Ekiti State House of Assembly complex on the order of the Commissioner of Police, Mr. Bello Ahmed.
“The Police Commissioner claimed that he received a letter from the Clerk of the House, Mr. Tola Esan, purportedly seeking security deployment to the premises of the House.
“However, the Clerk has written to the Commissioner of Police, dissociating himself from any letter and describing such letter as forged.
“Mr. Tola Esan also spoke with pressmen on camera, stating categorically that he did not write any letter to the police, seeking
deployment of security men to the House of Assembly complex and that the House is on recess till October 8, 2018.
“The question we now wish to ask the Commissioner of Police is; who wrote the purported letter and where did he get it from?
“Also, we wish to ask the Commissioner of Police the motives behind his hurried deployment of armed policemen to the House of Assembly complex without seeking clarification from the Speaker.
“Again, after speaking with the Clerk on phone and he told the CP expressly that no such letter was authored by him, why are the policemen still laying siege on the House of Assembly?
“The House of Assembly is constitutionally backed to go on recess as seen in the National Assembly and other advanced democracies in the world and therefore no official function of the house can take place while on recess.
“As at today, the House of Assembly is on recess till October 8, 2018.”
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The Speaker added, “Information at our disposal is to the effect that the policemen are laying siege on the House of Assembly to provide cover for some miscreants today to perpetrate evil and create chaos in the House of Assembly thus threatening our democracy and putting the lives of our innocent staff into danger.
“We are also aware of the sinister plot to break into the Assembly Complex before daybreak with the intention of making away with the Mace.
“We therefore call the attention of well-meaning Nigerians to the fresh coup being plotted by some anti-democratic agents in the APC in collaboration with the Police in Ekiti State.
“As the Speaker of the House, herein the constitutional head of the institution, there is no threat in the House to warrant any
deployment of policemen and the Commissioner of Police should therefore withdraw the illegal deployment of policemen to the premises of the house as such is unsolicited, unwarranted dangerous and ultra vires.”
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