By Wole Balogun, Ado Ekiti
Members of the Ekiti State House of Assembly yesterday alleged that they were offered $1 million to ‘cooperate’ with the Department of State Service (DSS) on alleged plot by All Progressives Congress (APC) to support the planned impeachment of Governor Ayodele Fayose. All the House members belong to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
The lawmakers, who vowed not to collaborate with anyone to truncate the administration, said they were prepared to spend the rest of their tenure in DSS cell, instead of joining people that they defeated in five elections to cause another political instability in the state.
Addressing the press yesterday, Chairman of the House Committee on Information, Gboyega Aribisogan, said: “In the last four days, eight of our members had been visited by some men, who claimed to be officials of the DSS.
“Our members were told that their names were among those to be arrested and they must ‘cooperate’ if they do not want their bank accounts frozen and be kept in DSS detention indefinitely.”
The lawmakers said the 2006 experience, when Assembly members were hounded into EFCC’s detention and made to sign impeachment of Governor Fayose on the table of the EFCC chairman will never be repeated.
Aribisogan, who was flanked by 12 other Assembly men, said: “We are here to inform the public through your various media about the open involvement of men of the Department of State Service (DSS) from Abuja in the plot to unseat our Governor, Mr Peter Ayodele Fayose.
“The last Friday invasion of the state House of Assembly by armed men of the DSS in which four of our members were abducted, had been established to be a prelude to the clandestine plot to coerce members of the House of Assembly to impeach Governor Fayose.
“As at today, even Hon Afolabi Akanni that we were able to confirm was with the DSS in Abuja is being held incommunicado. No one has been allowed access to him, not even his lawyers and doctors. We do not have any information as to the whereabouts of the other three.
“We are aware of the plot to arrest no fewer than 18 of our members with a view to forcing them to sign impeachment notice against Governor Fayose. They went on to promise that a proper arrangement had been made for the impeachment, with a sum of $1 million already earmarked for sharing among “co-operating” Assembly members.
“Also, our members were told that they will be provided with soft-landing in the APC if they co-operate. One of them revealed that they promised to make him the Speaker, and eventually the Acting Governor.
“We, however, wish to tell the plotters of evil against the government of Ayodele Fayose and by extension, the people of Ekiti State that we, members of the State House of Assembly are not interested in their evil plot.
“We therefore, wish to state unequivocally that we are not interested in any $1 million. We won’t because of any blood money join forces with the enemies of our state, who are desirous of destabilising the state, just because they lost power,” Aribisogan said.