Police take over Ekiti Assembly after Ex-governor candidate failed to emerge as speaker
Nigeria Police Force has taken over Ekiti State House of Assembly following alleged plots by hoodlums to invade the Assembly complex.
This situation comes after 24 hours of elected the new Speaker of the Assembly, Gboyega Aribisogan on Tuesday.
Aribisogan, who is the candidate of Governor Biodun Oyebanji defeated Bunmi Adelugba, the preferred choice of ex-Governor Kayode Fayemi with 15 votes against 10 votes.
Newsflash Nigeria gathered that in the early hours of Tuesday, the security personnel, drawn from the anti-riot squad, regular policemen and counter-terrorism unit were strategically stationed on the four routes leading to the state House of Assembly complex.
Movement into the complex, which is located off Government Reserve Area, 3rd Extension, Ado-Ekiti was restricted as the two entrance gates were shut.
The security operatives conducted stop-and-search operations with increased checkpoints as patrol vans were moving around the vicinity.
The situation created palpable fear in the Assembly complex as workers hurriedly left their offices for their homes to avoid being trapped.
A source in the police said that they received information that some people were planning to invade the Assembly complex and attack lawmakers.
The source said some politicians in the state are displeased with the outcome of the election that brought in the new Speaker of the Assembly, Gboyega Aribisogan on Tuesday.
Aribisogan was elected as the new Speaker of the House of Assembly following the death of the late Speaker, Funminyi Afuye.
Newsflash Nigeria reported on Tuesday that Aribisogan emerged as the new Speaker despite efforts by the immediate former governor of the state, Dr Kayode Fayemi to impose his candidate, Chief Bunmi Adelugba on the people, in a move to retain control of the state legislature.
Source gathered that Fayemi disrespected the state governor, Mr Biodun Oyebanji in his move to ensure Adelugba, who represents the Emure constituency, emerged as the Speaker.
Sources said Fayemi on Sunday summoned top politicians in the state to his house and categorically told them to support Adelugba for the vacant position. He, however, failed to invite the governor to the gathering where the plot was being made to technically give himself a third term in office by retaining control of the House.
Fayemi and Oyebanji, whom he supported to succeed him in the office are already at loggerheads less than a month after the latter took the oath of office, Sahara Reporters reports.
“Fayemi summoned Ekiti politicians to his house on Sunday and imposed a speaker on them, Adelugba. In fact, the speaker he selected took a priest to the House of Assembly, dry-cleaned her Speaker’s robe and fumigated the Assembly complex.
“But Fayemi did not invite the governor who is now at loggerheads with him over the messy state he left the state’s treasury,” a source told SaharaReporters after Fayemi’s plot failed.
It was learnt that some of the lawmakers voted against Adelugba to spite Fayemi for allegedly working against them during the primaries of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
“Today, the people of Ekiti are jubilant that ‘Fayemi’s third term’ in office has ended,” another source privy to the happenings in the state told SaharaReporters on Tuesday.
Aribisogan was sworn in at the plenary of Tuesday by the clerk of the House, Mr Tola Esan after emerged as Speaker.
The new Speaker thanked his colleagues for having confidence in him and promised to be committed to the discharge of his duty.
The immediate former Speaker, Afuye, died after suffering from cardiac arrest on October 19. He was buried last Friday in Ikere-Ekiti.
Meanwhile, the newly-elected Speaker, Aribisogan, said the security deployment was to forestall possible breakdown of law and order.
He said: “The leadership of the police command in Ekiti informed us this morning that they had verifiable intelligence about some hoodlums coming to attack the assembly complex and to avoid breakdown of law and order, hence the need for their presence and they have promised us to conducts investigation on the matter and report to us before the close of work today.
“I want to appeal to my colleagues and staff of the assembly to be patient and bear with us, normalcy will soon return to the House.”
Reacting to the situation at the Assembly, the Police Public Relations Officer, Ekiti Command, DSP Sunday Abutu, said they took prompt action by placing restrictions to prevent the breakdown of law and order.
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