ADO EKITI, Federal Republic of Nigeria. Anxiety has gripped the people of Ado- Ekiti, as the state awaits the Supreme Court’s verdict today on the June 21 governorship election won by Governor Ayodele Fayose.
The All Progressives Congress, APC, in the state, having lost the bid to have the Election Petition Tribunal and the Appeal Court upturn the victory of Fayose of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, had approached the Supreme Court to seek redress.
While Fayose in a state-wide broadcast yesterday asked residents to keep the peace and go about their lawful duties, the APC raised an alarm over alleged plan by PDP to attack its members and supporters if the judgment threatened Fayose’s position.
Publicity Secretary, Taiwo Olatunbosun, said in a statement that the party had uncovered plans to burn houses of APC leaders and cause bodily harm to its members and supporters if the judgment is not favourable to the governor.
However, factional Speaker of the House of Assembly, Dele Olugbemi, alleged plan by some individuals to plunge the state into chaos.
Olugbemi said yesterday that he was under pressure from some unnamed forces in Lagos and Osun states to withdraw his support for Governor Fayose “with a view to succeed in the illegal bid of the APC lawmakers in the state Assembly to impeach the governor.”
The PDP speaker, who said the decision of the APC lawmakers to discontinue suit No FHC/L/CS/1823/2014 filed by the embattled Speaker, Dr Adewale Omirin, challenging his November 20, 2014, impeachment was among steps being taken to lure him into their camp.
Olugbemi, who said his belief in the cause of Ekiti development could not be sacrificed on the altar of any form of inducement from sponsors of the APC lawmakers, said Ekiti would not be allowed to become a theatre of war again.
The lawmaker told a press conference in Ado- Ekiti yesterday that the plan of APC lawmakers “is to cause another state of emergency in the state. That is why they are coming up with all these.
“We have had enough political instability in Ekiti State and this time around, those who caused the 2006 imbroglio will not be allowed to destabilise the state just because their party has been voted out of power in the state.
“Governor Fayose was elected to govern Ekiti for four years and those throwing stones from Lagos and Osun states are warned to desist lest they incur the wrath of Ekiti people,” Olugbemi said.
Last Thursday, the Omirin- led APC lawmakers had said they had written the state Chief Judge, Ayodeji Daramola, to set up a sevenman committee to investigate Fayose over the impeachment allegation they leveled against him.
But Olugbemi, in a swift reaction on Friday, urged the Chief Judge to ignore any letter purportedly written by the APC lawmakers, describing Omirin as an impostor having been impeached and challenging his impeachment as Speaker in court.
Credit: National Mirror
