Alleged N135m bribery: It’s cheap blackmail –Ekiti speaker

Speaker of Ekiti State House of Assembly, Ad­ewale Omirin, has decried alleged in­timidation and blackmail of the state House of As­sembly by the state gov­ernment, saying Governor Ayodele Fayose’s reaction to the refusal by All Pro­gressives Congress (APC) members in the legisla­tive to dump the party for Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is beyond approved standards of modern gov­ernance.

In a statement by the speak­er’s Special Adviser on Me­dia, Wole Olujobi, the speaker said the latest allegation of demanding N135 million for the screening of Governor Fayose’s commissioner-nom­inees was a propaganda taken too far and against the grains of decency in a fledgling de­mocracy.

Omirin, who said he would not have reacted if not for the gullible public that could be deceived by lies from the executive, expressed worry over media reports casting the House of Assembly as a stum­bling block to the governor’s bid to constitute his cabinet, saying the reports were mis­leading.

Stressing that the House would not be distracted from its record of integrity in mak­ing quality laws for Ekiti people as it had done in the last four years the speaker explained: “The standard practice is to present the list of the nominees in the plenary while the nominees will fol­low with the submission of their credentials. They will be screened before confirmation.

“The governor sent three nominees on Monday and the list was read in the parlia­mentary that day. Since it is a public document, we read the letter second day in the ple­nary. Nobody submitted any credential. We don’t know the nominees. They have not submitted their credentials for the appropriate committees to screen them. It is surprising that the governor expects the House to confirm the nomi­nees as sent. This is strange in parliamentary conduct.”

Omirin regretted that the governor responded by freez­ing the bank accounts of the House of Assembly, saying one arm of government could not close down the activities of the other.

“How can you elevate in­timidation and blackmail to an art of governance? The Chief Judge was blackmailed that he took bribe of N20 million to stall hearing on lo­cal council development ar­eas case and another alleged N200 million to re-assign the E-Eleven’s perjury case to Justice Olusegun Ogunyemi to return guilty verdict on the governor. After the judiciary had been blackmailed to sub­mission, it is now the turn of the parliament to be brought to its knees by blackmailing members and freezing the accounts of the House as if the House is a department in the Governor’s Office,” the speaker said.

But Governor Fayose has denied freezing the accounts of the state House of Assem­bly.

Reacting to the allegations, the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Mr. Idowu Adelusi, said: “The allega­tions are very untrue. Gover­nor Fayose has not ordered the freezing of account of the State House of Assembly. And neither has the governor asked anybody to either insult or assault the speaker.

“The speaker is only play­ing politics and in the essence of that, maligning Governor Fayose. The speaker should understand that today Fayose is his Governor, and the office is sacred, and he is the symbol of Ekiti people.

“If he, in the name of poli­tics, continues to denigrate that office, he is denigrating Ekiti people. Also, if Omi­rin-led House has refused to screen the nominees sent to them, it is a disservice to Ekiti people. They should know that they have not bruised Fayose by their actions but Ekiti people who earnestly demand for progress and good governance by voting for Fayose.”