The 19 All Progressives Congress (APC) lawmakers in Ekiti State have stated Governor Ayo Fayose should be blamed for the insecurity in the state.
Reacting to a media report by the governor’s media aide, Lere Olayinka, accusing the lawmakers of frustrating the government’s security measures, the lawmakers stated the governor was the one encouraging crimes through his conduct.
In a statement, the Speaker Adewale Omirin’s Special Adviser on Media, Wole Olujobi, said: “Even before Fayose became governor, Ekiti witnessed a heavy influx of criminals to the state. The thugs were reportedly joined by the escapees of the Ado-Ekiti jail break and were quartered in the Adesua Lodge of the Government House.
“The governor refused to fund security agencies as his predecessor, former Governor Dr Kayode Fayemi, did. Instead, the governor’s personal security vote was increased to N200 million monthly.
“Streetlights in the state capital are on now between 6.30pm and 10.30pm. Fayemi made it available between 6.30pm and 6.30am, which helped greatly to fight crimes.”
The statement stated there was indeed a plot to kidnap the lawmakers to stall the governor’s impeachment.
Commercial drivers’ unions have warned APC lawmakers to drop their impeachment plan. They stated the attempts to sack Fayose would throw the state into chaos.
In a joint statement yesterday by the Chairman, Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria (RTEAN), Samuel Agbede; Chairman, National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), Clement Adekola and Chairman, Pick-Up and Lorry Drivers’ Association, Atowoju Oluwatosin, the unions claim they are monitoring the movements of the lawmakers.
The commercial drivers also advised the APC lawmakers to respect a court order that all parties in the Ekiti impeachment saga should maintain status quo, until the case comes up for hearing again on May 21.
They urged the APC legislators to respect the decision of the people who elected Fayose to hold the mandate in trust for them.