In Ekiti: Fayose Freezes State Assembly’s Accounts

The Speaker of the House, Dr Adewale Omirin made the allegations against Governor Ayo Fayose while also accusing him of incessant blackmail and intimidation. Governor Ayo Fayose of Ekiti has been accused of freezing the accounts of the State House of Assembly. The Speaker of the House, Dr Adewale Omirin made the allegations against the governor while also accusing him of incessant blackmail and intimidation. This was contained in a statement released by the speaker’s Special Adviser on Media, Wole Olujobi. Omirin states that the trouble started after the members of the House were accused of refusing to approve members of cabinet nominated by Fayose. “The standard practice is to present the list of the nominees to plenary; the nominees will follow with the submission of their credentials. They will be screened before confirmation.” “The governor sent three names on Monday and the list was read that day. Since it was a public document, we read the letter the second day at plenary.” “Nobody submitted any credential. We don’t know the nominees. They have not submitted their credentials for the appropriate committees to screen them. It is surprising that the governor expects the House to confirm the nominees immediately. This is strange in parliamentary conduct.” He said the governor reacted by “freezing the bank accounts of the House of Assembly.” The statement continues: “…Police and PDP thugs, in the wee hours of Wednesday, stormed and ransacked the home of Mr Kayode Fasakin representing Ekiti West constituency II, Kehinde Boluwade and Olaseinde Ogunrinde, all APC members.” “One arm of government cannot close down the activities of the other. How can you elevate intimidation and blackmail to an art of governance?” “The chief judge was blackmailed that he took a bribe of N20million to stall hearing on the local council development areas case and another alleged N200million to reassign the E-11’s perjury case to Justice Olusegun Ogunyemi to return a guilty verdict on the governor. “After the judiciary had been blackmailed to submission, it is now the turn of the parliament to be brought to its knees by blackmailing members and freezing the accounts of the House as if the House is a department in the Governor’s Office.” However Fayose’s Chief Press Secretary, Idowu Adelusi has denied the accusations. “Governor Fayose has not ordered the freezing of the accounts of the House of Assembly and neither has he asked anybody to insult or assault the Speaker.” “The Speaker should understand that today Fayose is his governor, and the office is sacred, and he is the symbol of Ekiti people.” “If he in the name of politics continues to denigrate that office, he is denigrating the Ekiti people.” Adelusi further accused the speaker of playing dirty politics urging him to report any case of assault to the police instead of accusing the governor.