By Wole Balogun, Ado Ekiti
AT its inauguration on June 8, 2015, a clear challenge that faced the current House of Assembly of Ekiti State, was the dilemma of either pleasing its party, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on which platform the 26 members have all won the election to become the state’s lawmakers to the point of being labeled Governor Ayo Fayose’s rubber stamp or choose a rather radical and ‘difficult’ path of performing its duty above board by ensuring that its expected loyalty to the party does not clash with the overall interest of Ekiti people whose interest they constitutionally represent.
Antecedents of the House, prior to the present House’s emergence, further foregrounds this telling dilemma: Gov. Fayose had a fierce battle with the G 19 lawmakers of the opposition party All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state, and the clash, which almost crashed his government, slowed the pace of governance as political grandstanding, umbrage and the likes held sway, but was brought to a defeatist end with the expiration of their (APC lawmakers) tenure on June 5, 2014.
The government thus heaved a heavy sign of relief when the current Assembly, wholly peopled by its party members, came on board.
First test of loyalty:
Perhaps, its first test of loyalty to its party, symbolized by governor Fayose and fairness to Ekiti people on the other hand, was the task of approving the 2016 Appropriation Bill.
Expectedly, the Bill received a prompt approval of the House unlike that of 2015, which did not only suffer a long, unnecessary delay, but was almost rendered ineffective due to opposing stand of the G 19.
A bigger litmus test:
The Ekiti House received a bigger test of loyalty, this time to its party and its leader in the state, governor Fayose, when the Directorate of State Security Service (DSS) allegedly ‘harrassed’ some top functionaries of the state government.
A member of the House representing Efon constituency in the state, Hon. Afolabi Akanni was whisked to Abuja on March 4 during an invasion of the state Assembly Complex on Ilawe Road, Ado-Ekiti by officials of the DSS.
The DSS had also picked up other government officials such as the state Finance Commissioner, Toyin Ojo and a state official and ex-special assistant on revenue to the governor, Mr Ropo Ogunjobi, , with an explanation that they had case to answer on alleged security breaches and misappropriation of government funds among others.
The development drew the ire of the House members who reacted with venom, decrying alleged acts of intimidation, coercion and oppression by the Federal Government and threatening legal redress to protect their rights as honourable lawmakers of the state.
More significantly, the House alleged that the DSS’ clampdown on the state top functionaries was an indirect attempt to get at Gov. Fayose for his un-apologetic and scathing criticism of the APC’s led Federal Government under President Muhammadu Buhari.
Speaker of the House, Rt Hon. Kola Oluwawole had fumed in a press release he read on behalf of the House: “… We wish to inform those orchestrating the harassment and intimidation of officials of the Ekiti State government, especially honourable members of the State House of Assembly that this is 2016 and not 2006. The same tactics used 10 years ago to truncate democracy in Ekiti State will not work this time.
“We, therefore, wish to tell the APC agents of political instability that this time around, this House of Assembly will not be available for any ungodly use.
“Let it be reiterated once again that this House of Assembly is a partner in the progress of the Ekiti State government under the able leadership of Governor Peter Ayodele Fayose.
“Therefore, the Abuja-based agents of destabilisation should get it into their heads that we will never be harassed or intimidated into buying into their sinister agenda,” the Speaker said.
To further register their displeasure at the DSS invasion and press home their demand for respect for their members’ fundamental human rights, members of the House took their protest against the FG’s alleged oppression to Abuja as well as to some strategic diplomatic organizations such as the American Embassy. They even addressed the press, alleging that Akanni who was being held, had slumped and died in the security agency’s custody.
An allegation the DSS swiftly reacted to by promptly parading the lawmaker and days after, eventually released him after 18 days of his detention in Abuja office of the security agency.
Loyalty taken too far?
When on April 15, some members of the Ekiti House of Assembly including Deputy Speaker Segun Adewumi; Chairman of the House Committee on Information, Gboyega Aribisogan; and Chairman of the House Committee on Health, Samuel Omotosho, accompanied the state Chief of Staff, Barrister Dipo Anisulowo and governor Fayose’s media aide, Lere Olayinka to Abuja office of the Chinese Embassy, to submit a letter asking China President Xi Jinping not to honour President Buhari’s request for $2 billion infrastructural loan on the grounds that the FG had earlier boasted that it had saved over N3 trillion with the adoption of Treasury Single Accounts (TSA) and an argument that the loan would subject the country to long years of imperialist servitude to China, many Nigerians’ opinion is that the lawmakers were taking their loyalty to their party and governor Fayose too far.
The development had fetched more knocks from Nigerians for the lawmakers more than praises; only a few from several quarters, reading between the line, gave their support to the daring attempt of the state governor, solidly supported by the House, to stop the FG’s loan from China.
Constantly identifying with governor Fayose:
To say the current Ekiti Assembly has always identified with Governor Fayose’s policies, politicking and others is stating the obvious as there are many testimonials to this assertion.
On virtually any occasion the governor makes his position known on any issue in governance both at the state and federal level, the House is quick to identify with him, passing vote of confidence in him and praising him for performing admirably well.
Instances of this abounds and they include governor Fayose’s regular and acerbic criticism of Buhari’s policies, his policies on compulsory payment of educational development levy by parents in the state, additional tax imposition on commercial drivers, abbattoir workers, sand dealers and others affected among others always receive prompt ‘approval’ and support from the House.
Such display of staunch support for the governor include the House’s support for Fayose’s proposed bill to ban Fulani herdsmen grazing in the state following the herdsmen’s invasion of Oke-Ako community in Ikole Local Government Area of the state, leading to the killing of two villagers, its attack on the federal government when it was speculated that the Federal Government was planning to place a possible travel ban on the governor, its position on the recent workers’ strike where it pitched its tent with governor Fayose to the point of passing a vote of confidence on him over his failure to pay the outstanding five months’ salary due to dwindling allocations from Abuja, and the House’s condemnation of the freezing of two personal
accounts of the governor with Zenith Bank Plc on the orders of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission which claimed it did so to investigate the governor’s alleged link with the arms fund scandal
The Ekiti House did not only condemn the freezing of Fayose’s accounts but also went dramatic by protesting with a plenary session on the street of Ado-Ekiti.
On June 29, the 26 members of the Ekiti State House of Assembly staged a street protest against what they alleged as deliberate intimidation, oppression and harassment of the state government with agents of the Federal Government under the leadership of President Muhammadu Buhari.
The lawmakers held a plenary session on the road for hours to express their displeasure on the alleged development. They carried bags containing their personal effects and food and dared EFCC to arrest them, saying: “It is illegal and an act of intimidation and harassment for the Federal Government and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, (EFCC) to freeze the personal accounts of Governor Fayose.”
They displayed several placards with various inscriptions such as: “We are ready for Arrest, We can’t be intimidated”, “Ekiti Assembly Not for Sale”, “Leave Fayose Alone”, “This blackmail, Harrassment of Fayose is About 2018 Election”, “ Ekiti House can’t be Bought, On Fayose We Stand”,
Other descriptions include “Arrest and Detain Us, If you Want, On Fayose We Stand”, “No Matter your Media Trial and Blackmail, On Fayose We Stand”, and “We Don’t Need Your Money”. They also carried bags containing their personal effects and sat on the road on Okesa street close to the old governor’s office in the state capital.
Speaker of the House called on the Federal Government and the EFCC to leave Fayose alone and stop the harassment adding that the freezing of the governor’s accounts is illegal. He added that all the members of the House is ready to go to jail, saying: “ come and arrest us, we are here in Ekiti now”
The Speaker alleged further: “There are plan under the way to arrest 10 of the lawmakers, saying “We are ready for the arrest. Let there be peace in Ekiti State. Let Abuja people leave Ekiti alone, nothing will shake us from supporting Fayose on this matter”
Another lawmaker of the House, Dr. Samuel Omotosho, said that the alleged and undue interference of the APC led federeal government into the matters of the state government has not allowed the lawmakers to perform their constitutional duties, alleging further that there is no democracy in Nigeria but despotism.
The Chairman, House Committee on Media, Hon. Gbenga Aribisogun, warned Ekiti people in Abuja allegedly causing problems for the state to stop their nefarious activities, saying the assembly will not play into their hands this time around.
The lawmakers also said that they are going to Abuja for the protest.
Achievements:
According to Stephen Gbadamosi, Special Adviser on Media to the Speaker, Ekiti House officially began work on June 5, 2015, at the expiration of the tenure of the 4th House, after the swearing in of the elected members by a resolution that governor Fayose be authorised to reconstitute the chairman and members of Transition Committee for the 16 local government areas of the state.
This Honourable Assembly has continued to perform its duties as an important arm of government in Ekiti State. In the last one year, the House has passed thirteen (13) important bills into law.
They are:
- A law to establish Ekiti State Mineral Resource Development Agency and other related matters 2015.
- Ekiti State House of Assembly Service Commission (Fourth Amendment) Law 2015.
- Ekiti State Security Trust Fund Law 2015.
- 2015 Local government Appropriation Law
- Ekiti State College of Technical and Commercial Agriculture Repeal Law 2015.
- 2015 Revised Appropriation Law.
- A Law to provide for the appointment and tenure of Regents in Ekiti State and other connected matters 2015.
- 2016 Appropriation Law.
- Ekiti State Kidnap and Terrorism (Prohibition) Law 2015.
- Public Defender Law 2015.
- Ekiti State Local Government Service Commission (Amendment) Bill 2015.
- Ekiti State Forestry Law 2015.
- Remuneration for Local Government Political Functionaries (Executive Arm) in Ekiti State Law 2016.
This House has also passed sixteen (16) resolutions which had direct positive impacts on the people of the state. Among some of the resolutions are:
(1) That the good people of Ekiti State, especiallyfarmers, hunters and rural dwellers, should always be at alert and report strange movements and faces in their neighbourhoods, while calling upon the commissioner of police and heads of other security agencies to beef up security around the state so as to be able to fish out kidnappers and bring them to book.
(2) The House also condemned the shoddy job done by Aaron Engineering Construction Ltd, a contractor handling the State Pavilion project; directed the contractor to return to site and correct all the structural defects and ensure its completion.Before the latest onslaught of Fulani herdsmen on the people of Ekiti State, this Honourable Assembly had condemned the activities of these herdsmen and warned cattle rearers to desist from encroaching on farmlands.
Most importantly, the House unanimously resolved in favour of the approval of Ekiti State Medium Term Expenditure Framework 2016 – 2018 for use in the state.
Gentlemen of the press, the past one year is replete with gains and pains; gains with regard to what the state has benefitted in terms of good legislations, and pains in terms of the challenges facing us as legislators. Without mincing words, it has not been rosy. The parlous state of the Nigerian economy has not helped the legislative arm to perform most of its oversight functions.
We cannot but continue to thank and appreciate our amiable governor, Dr Peter Ayodele Fayose, who has continued to stand by this House. Despite the meager resources available to the state, he has assisted the House by providing conducive environment for us to perform our legislative duties. He has also assisted members to acquire knowledge through various trainings, workshops, retreats and seminars in and outside the country. His support for the House is immeasurable and we shall eternally be grateful to him.
We equally appreciate members of the public, traditional leaders/rulers, religious leaders, captains of industries and particularly organizations like the Nigerian media, Nigeria Bar Association, Amnesty International, other international agencies, embassies and high commissions in Nigeria that stood by us during the inglorious DSS invasion.