Fayose Has Deprived Me Of My Rights…. As Fayose’s Aide Says Governor Is Innocent

The Speaker, Ekiti State House of Assembly, Dr. Adewale
Omirin, said on Tuesday that Governor Ayodele Fayose had ordered the sealing
off of his office.

This, the Speaker claimed, followed the action of seven PDP
members of Ekiti State House of Assembly who illegally sat to attempt to change
the leadership of the House, but only succeeded in approving the reconstitution
of the local government caretaker committees and confirmation of the
commissioner-nominees sent to the House of Assembly last week by Fayose.

A statement by his Special Adviser on Media, Wole Olujobi, said
the governor had earlier employed threats and coercion, including freezing the
accounts of the Assembly, cutting off the electricity supply from the Speaker’s
Lodge and stopping statutory votes for the Speaker’s upkeep and protocol to
intimidate Omirin and have firm control of the House.

He added that on Tuesday, the governor announced the sacking
of the Speaker’s aides, including that of the Deputy Speaker and Majority
Leader.

Olujobi claimed that the Speaker’s official vehicles had
been demobilised because their keys had been taken to the office of the
governor, while his official drivers had been redeployed.

But Fayose’s Special Assistant on Information, Mr. Lanre
Ogunsuyi, while addressing journalists in Ado-Ekiti on Tuesday, said the
Speaker had yet to brief the governor on the incident.

Maintaining innocence of the governor, he said Fayose had
once saved Omirin from impeachment.

He said, “We are waiting to see if the Speaker was removed
or not. But we know the Assembly is empowered to appoint a Speaker extempore.
What happened yesterday (Monday) was an affair of the Assembly. He (Fayose) has
no hand in it. He is not a beneficiary of any of the action.

“When they need us they will come to us. Up till now the
Speaker has not come to the governor.”

Ogunsuyi, however, said what happened at the Assembly with
the approval of the three commissioner nominees was in the interest of the
state.

He said the state’s Attorney General and Commissioner for
Justice was needed to draft document for the state to access the N220bn Small,
Micro and Medium Enterprises’ Development Fund of the Central Bank of Nigeria.

He added that the Commissioner for Works also needed to
represent the state at a World Bank event.

Ogunsuyi said the government did not expect a smooth
relationship with the Assembly because of party differences.

“We don’t expect the relationship to be very smooth because
of the party differences. But honestly speaking, the Assembly is for the state.
They have the right to reject a thing if it’s not in the interest of the state
but they don’t have the right to reject a thing if it’s not in their party’s
interest.

“Nobody should use the government platform to advance
party’s interest.”

The governor’s aide also frowned on the branding of the
Ekiti people that went to witness the Assembly’s sitting as thugs.

He said, “My people should not be addressed as thugs anytime
they take interest in the activities of government. They are no thugs. They
were the people that voted and are interested in the government. Some of these
people have their business under threat while some have their shops locked by
the former government.”

Ogunsuyi also justified the sacking of the aides of the
Speaker by the government.

According to him, the last administration made a law that
the governor will appoint aides for the principal officer and Local Government
chairmen.

“What happened was that the Governor had to revalidate the
appointments. It is left for the Speaker to put heads with the governor. If he
is interested in retaining those people, the governor would appoint them for
him.

“But he passed that law knowingly or unknowingly that the
governor would appoint aides for him.”

The Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Idowu Adelusi, who also
attended the briefing, recalled that former Governor Kayode Fayemi did the same
thing by sacking all the political appointees on assumption of office.

Source: Punch