Members of the Ekiti State House of Assembly from both sides of the divide on Friday traded words following the allegation by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) lawmakers that their All Progressives Congress (APC) counterparts were plotting to hold a late night sitting.
The leader of the seven-member PDP faction, Dele Olugbemi alleged that the Speaker, Adewale Omirin, led other 11 APC lawmakers to force themselves into the hallowed chambers late Thursday night to hold a sitting to destabilize the state.
But the APC lawmakers described the allegation as “wicked, untrue and baseless” saying they had resolved not to be part of any illegality as they are determined to use the rule of law to fight their battle.
They insisted that they were nowhere near the Assembly complex at 11.30 pm on Thursday night as claimed by their PDP counterparts saying: “it is only the minority legislators that are infected with the virus of illegalities”.
Olugbemi alleged that the planned forcible entry was aimed at ‘stealing’ the mace, the House’s symbol of authority to confer legitimacy on the alleged proposed sitting.
The leader of the PDP faction described the alleged attempt of the APC lawmakers as an “ignominious act that should be condemned by all stakeholders in the state”.
Olugbemi said he could not understand why the APC members allegedly chose 11.30 pm on Thursday to plan a sitting when they had the opportunity of holding a sitting in day time.
He claimed that the alleged plot to sit compelled him to order a security beef-up at the Assembly complex which continued for greater part of Friday.
But the Majority Leader of the Assembly, Churchill Adedipe, accused Olugbemi of crying wolf while there was none saying the allegation exists in the imagination of the PDP faction in the House.
Adedipe who described the allegation as another mischief from the PDP camp said the APC members had no reason to plan such act when they had already taken their case to the court of law.
He said:“Nobody went there among our members. We won’t perpetrate illegality because we are law abiding citizens. We won’t enter the place by force. We are honorable men and would not act like evil men.
“What would we be doing in the place at night? We would ride on the back of law to get back to that Assembly,” he said.
Omirin in his reaction said the PDP members were only generating rumour to whip up public sympathy and emotion.
Reacting through his Media Adviser, Wole Olujobi, Omirin said: “Nobody was there yesterday (Thursday). It is just a strategy to get security agencies attention.”
Speaking on why there was heavy presence of armed policemen for greater part of Friday, police spokesperson Victor Babayemi disclosed they were mobilized to the Assembly premises “on routine duty and not for any emergency”.
Babayemi said, “The policemen were there on routine duty. We have a Police outpost close to the Assembly, which is in charge of policing the area. They were there to carry out their normal duty not because of any emergency.
“We have no business about how the lawmakers conduct their business as long as there is no breakdown of law and order.”
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