• Ekiti lawmakers petition National Assembly, Amnesty Int
From Godwin Tsa, Abuja
The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has said it will investigate the travel restriction allegedly placed on Ekiti State Governor, Mr. Ayodele Fayose and one other governor from the South-South by the Federal Government.
Executive Secretary of the commission, Prof. Bem Angwe disclosed this yesterday while addressing members of the Ekiti State House of Assembly, who were in his office to submit a petition on the alleged placement of travel ban on Fayose and the refusal of the Department of State Services (DSS) to obey a Federal High Court judgment, ordering the DSS to pay N5 million damages over the illegal arrest and detention for 18 days of a member of the House, Afolabi Akanni.
He commended the lawmakers for their commitment to the sustenance of rule of law in the country and cooperation with the executive arm of government in Ekiti State, urging lawmakers in other states to emulate them.
Ekiti State House of Assembly had petitioned the NHRC, National Assembly, Amnesty International, Embassies of the United States and the United Kingdom over the alleged plot by the Federal Government to prevent Governor Fayose from travelling outside Nigeria without getting clearance from the DSS.
The petition, signed by Speaker Kolawole Oluwawole was submitted by the Deputy Speaker, Segun Adewumi; Chairman, House Committee on Information, Gboyega Aribisogan and Chairman, House Committee on Health, Dr. Samuel Omotoso.
The petition reads: “We write to bring to your attention another impending infringement on the rights of the governor of our state, Mr. Ayodele Fayose and by extension the entire Ekiti by the Federal Government.
“A few weeks ago, our governor was reliably informed that President Muhammadu Buhari had directed that he should be banned from travelling outside Nigeria. This reliable information was to be confirmed through reports in two major national dailies on Sunday, May 29, 2016 entitled: ‘2 govs under watch’.
“From our findings, one of the governors being referred to is our own governor, Peter Ayodele Fayose and we wish to state like we have always done that we, the members of Ekiti State House of Assembly are with the governor on everything that he does.
“Even ordinary Nigerians do not require clearance from the Department of State Services (DSS) or any security agency to travel outside Nigeria unless in compliance with court order, and as at today, there is no court order placing travel restriction on our governor, Ayodele Fayose. Issues concerning Governor Fayose cannot even be entertained in any court by virtue of the immunity he enjoys as provided in Section 308 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).
“We, however, know as always that this latest plot is as a result of our governor’s critical stance on President Buhari’s government and its anti-people’s policies, and we make bold to say that no amount of intimidation, harassment and oppression will cow the governor from exercising his fundamental rights to freedom of expression and to hold opinions as enshrined in the 1999 Constitution (as amended)…”