Nigerian Pilot News

The honorable speaker of the Ekiti State House of Assembly, Hon Kola Oluwawole, has announced the indefinite shutdown of the state assembly, after the alleged invasion of heavily armed policemen to the premises, without an official request.

The speaker told Newsmen in Ado Ekiti on Thursday, that the anti-riot policemen were deployed around 9pm on Wednesday.
Oluwawole, who addressed newsmen in company of 17 other members accused members who defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC) prior to the July 14 governorship election as being responsible for the act.
However, when journalists visited the Assembly as of 10.00 am, the policemen have been withdrawn and the premises kept under lock and key.

The Speaker said one of the defected lawmakers allegedly forged a letter purportedly written by the Clerk, Mr. Tola Esan and addressed to the Police Commissioner, Mr. Bello Ahmed calling for the deployment
when such was unwarranted.

The former Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) lawmakers; Hon Gboyega
Aribisogan, Sunday Akinniyi and Ebenezer Alagbada, decamped to APC owing to irreconcilable differences with Governor Ayodele Fayose.

Oluwawole drew the attention of the public to the antics of the opposition and their alleged resolve to cause confusion in the Assembly, saying there will be no legislative duty in the assembly until members resume from recess on October 8, 2018.

The Speaker ordered indefinite closure of the House pending the time security of lawmakers and staff of the hallowed chamber can be guaranteed.

Oluwawole said the Assembly in a letter dated July 26 and addressed to the CP, had lodged complaints of forgery against Hon. Aribisogan , and his call for illicit deployment of policemen in the assembly describing the action as not only shocking but a travesty in the country’s democratic history.

He said the Clerk of the House, Mr. Tola Esan , had on July 26 written a similar letter, dissociating himself from the letter purportedly written by him requesting police cover at the Assembly, urging the police authority to conduct unfettered investigations into the issue and bring the culprits to justice.

The Speaker said: “This is strange in democracy, for lawmakers to wake up and see unauthorised police deployment in the legislative arm of government. On Wednesday at about 9 pm, police authority deployed two detachments of heavily armed policemen to the premises of the Assembly. This came to us as a shock, because we are in recess and such action was unwarranted.

“The Assembly and the Clerk had reacted to a letter purportedly written by the latter calling for police deployment. We have told police authority in clear terms that such document should be treated like a forged document because the Clerk could not have written any official letter without consulting with me, he worked closely with my office as a Speaker.

“Before now, we had it on good authority that police were planning to provide cover for the three defected lawmakers to perpetrate violence in the Assembly and cause confusion as well as endanger the lives of our staff.

“As we speak, the lives of our people are no longer safe, because the police and APC thugs have laid siege to Ekiti Assembly and under this circumstance, our staff are no longer safe and we declare indefinite closure of the Assembly pending the time security can be guaranteed.

“We have not recovered from the harassment and abduction of our members by police during the July 14 election. But let me say expressly that such strange police deployment was unsolicited, unwarranted and ultra vires “, he said.

Lending credence to the Speaker’s position, the Chairman, House Committee on Information, Hon. Samuel Omotoso, said 23 members of the Assembly were behind the Speaker and Governor Fayose.

“As you can see, we have 23 members of PDP out of 26 solidly behind the Speaker and our governor. We hereby pass votes of confidence on their leadership. We remain unshaken in our resolve to protect democracy.

“You can see that 18 of us are here, but the Deputy Speaker, Hon. Sina Animasaun and Hon. Dada Celilcia, are in Lagos on official assignments, while Hon Titi Owolabi has just lost her hubby, Hon Ojo Ade Fajana is out of the country and Hon Tope Fasanmi travelled with the governor to Abuja, so we are united and strong”.

When called to react to the allegation, the Police Public Relations Officer, Mr. Caleb Ikechukwu could not be reached, as his mobile phone was switched off.

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The Senate President, Bukola Saraki, has indicated that he would not report to the police as directed in a letter by the Inspector General, Ibrahim Idris.

Mr Saraki gave the indication in a response to the police chief dated July 24.

Nigerian Pilot reported the summons by the police for the senator to appear on Tuesday morning at 8:00a.m.

Here is Mr Saraki’s response to the police letter of Monday. The response was clearly written after the Tuesday’s Senate sitting.

In it, the Senate president said he was aware President Muhammadu Buhari had directed the police to obtain written statement from Mr Saraki or send personnel to question him if he is needed for questioning. .

“You will recall that Mr. President had earlier directed as a courtesy to this office, that in the event of any request for further information from me, you should either send your personnel to my office or obtain a written response from me,” he told the police chief.

“I request you therefore, to please assign your personnel who need information on this matter, to meet me in my office, immediately after plenary today, or tomorrow or any other day at your convenience,” he wrote in the letter.

Mr Saraki also expressed concern about his safety following Tuesday’s siege by security

Read the full letter below:

RE: LETTER OF INVITATION

I wish to acknowledge your letter, ref CR: 3000/IGPSEC/ABJ/VOL.,131/707, dated 23rd of July 2018.

For the record, I should mention that received your letter at8:30pm on Monday 23rd July, inviting me for the next day at 8am. The two lawyers whose advice I needed were in Calabar and Lagos and had to travel to Abuja today.

As you are aware, the Deputy President of the Senate was unable to leave his residence this morning to preside over the senate having being prevented from doing so by security agents. If he had been able to preside over the senate, I would have honoured your invitation. The absence of both presiding officers would have voided the sitting of the senate. This would have been damaging to National interest, particularly in the light of very important legislative matters that needed to be addressed in view of the imminent recess of the National Assembly. These included consideration of the Electoral Bill, which was incidentally passed today.

You will recall that Mr. President had earlier directed as a courtesy to this office, that in the event of any request for further information from me, you should either send your personnel to my office or obtain a written response from me.

I need to place on record as well, that following the incident of being harassed and threatened at my residence by the police early this morning, I am deeply concerned over my physical security.

I request you therefore, to please assign your personnel who need information on this matter, to meet me in my office, immediately after plenary today, or tomorrow or any other day at your convenience.

Thank you.

Mr Saraki was initially invited for questioning in early June after some of the Offa robbery suspects allegedly confessed to being sponsored by him. But this approach was later abandoned by the police who asked him to turn in a written response to the allegations instead. The Senate President consequently sent a written response to the allegations. The police had been largely mum about the matter, until the Monday invitation.

In his initial response on Monday, Mr Saraki denied all allegations of involvement in the planning or execution of the Offa robbery in April which caused the death of over a score people.

He alleged that the police were involved in an elaborate, federal government-backed scheme aimed at railroading him into remaining at the ruling All Progressives Congress.

Although the police believe they have enough evidence to nail Mr Saraki for his alleged role in the crimes in Offa, the Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, however disagreed. In a letter to the police, Mr Malami’s office said it reviewed the evidence of the police and found there was no evidence that linked Mr Saraki with the crime suspects.

The police have not reacted publicly since Tuesday that Mr Saraki sent his latest letter.

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