The Ekiti State Governor, Mr. Ayodele Fayose, has raised alarm and accused the Federal Government of sending a batch of policemen from Abuja, on Tuesday, to arrest 11 members of the state House of Assembly.
In a statement by the Senior Special Assistant to the governor on Public Communications and New Media, Mr. Lere Olayinka, said some top government officials would be arrested along with the lawmakers.
The statement alleged that the detectives were led to Ado Ekiti by a Chief Superintendent of Police, Mohammed Abubakar, attached to the Force Criminal Investigation Department, Abuja.
According to the statement, the alleged clampdown on the state’s legislators would begin on Tuesday night, adding that the recent arrest of some lawmakers by the DSS was to coerce them to impeach Fayose.
It said, “The government said the indiscriminate arrest is to begin this night and that the policemen arrived Ado Ekiti, the state capital, today.
“We are aware of the arrival of policemen from Abuja to Ekiti State with the intention of arresting 11 members of the House of Assembly, two Peoples Democratic Party leaders per local government council and some other top officials of the government.
“The offence for which the policemen are to embark on this indiscriminate arrest is owing to TKO Aluko’s malicious outburst that those listed for arrest stockpiled arms during the governorship election conducted in Ekiti close to two years ago.
“This plot is in furtherance of the APC’s plot to destabilise the government of Ekiti State just because of Governor Fayose’s hard stance on President Muhammadu Buhari’s policies.
“The question is, what were the arms they claimed were stockpiled used for? Was anyone killed or attacked during the election?”
According to the statement, Governor Fayose is determined to resist any attempt to use the police to harass lawmakers and government officials in the state and has a right to speak of his views on any issue in Nigeria.
The statement continued, “Why have the police not arrested the APC chairman, Jide Awe, who is wanted for alleged murder and TKO Aluko, who was declared wanted by the court for perjury. The police have, instead, provided security cover for Awe and Aluko?
“We, therefore, wish to alert Nigerians on this new plot and state that Ekiti people will resist any attempt to use the police to harass innocent citizens of the state.
“Democratically, we are entitled to our views on any issue in Nigeria and we won’t succumb to intimidation and harassment from any agency of the Federal government.”
Aluko denied being aware of the arrival of any contingent of policemen from Abuja.
He said, “I am not aware of any arrest and I don’t know the whereabouts of Chief Jide Awe.”
But a leader of the APC in Ekiti hit back at these claims stating that if they’d done nothing wrong they shouldn’t fear an invitation by the police.
He said, “What’s the big deal in inviting public officials to come and explain certain actions and inactions? Nobody should be afraid of police invitation.
“Members of the executive such as ministers and directors have been invited by the National Assembly to clear the air on certain allegations. Nobody should fret over any invitation by the police”