Posted by By BOLU-OLU ESHO, Ado-Ekiti on
Efforts, by royal fathers in Ekiti, to resolve the crisis in the state House of Assembly, over local council elections, may have hit the rock even as the Speaker of the Assembly, Hon. Femi Bamisile, vowed that the coast is now clear for the election to hold.
•As police quiz speaker, deputy
Efforts, by royal fathers in Ekiti, to resolve the crisis in the state House of Assembly, over local council elections, may have hit the rock even as the Speaker of the Assembly, Hon. Femi Bamisile, vowed that the coast is now clear for the election to hold.
Already, the Action Congress(AC) and Progressive Peoples Alliance(PPA) are set to get injunction to stop the controversial State Independent Electoral Commission(SIEC) from conducting the election.
Signs that the peace efforts of the monarchs met a brick wall emanated from the meeting monarchs had with representatives of the legislators from both AC and PDP in the House on Tuesday in Ado-Ekiti.
According to the Speaker of the state House of Assembly, Femi Bamisile, who was among the three representatives of PDP legislators at the meeting, the monarchs after listening to both parties, resolved that since AC had instituted a suit against the constitution of the contentious electoral body, the status quo should be maintained.
Bamisile said going by the resolution of the royal fathers, the electoral body would be expected to draw its programme on the local government election and serve government and all the political parties in the state, so that they can prepare for the election. He added that the essence of the election was to identify the strongest party in the state.
In his words: 'We were advised by the royal fathers that since AC has gone to court, the best thing is to maintain status quo since the case is being adjudicated in court. That is, we will go ahead with election."
Speaking on the allegation that the Deputy Speaker of the House, Saliu Adeoti, pointed gun at his head on Monday when AC legislators stormed the House, Bamisile disclosed that the state police command had invited Adeoti and seized a gun from him which had semblance with the description of the one he told the police. He maintained that his deputy actually pointed a gun at him which Adeoti has denied.
The spokesman for the state Police Command, Mike Akindipe (ASP) confirmed that the speaker and his deputy were quizzed on the fire arm. He told newsmen that one Magnum semi-automatic pump action gun 9495, with eight life cartridges loaded, was seized from Adeoti. He was licenced in Akure, Ondo State , to carry the firearm.
Adeoti told the police he never fired a shot from the gun on the fateful day, but said he could identify the mobile policeman who shot at the Assembly premises when the crisis raged.
According to Akindipe, it's the ballisticians that would be able to find out when the gun was fired last, while mobile policemen drafted to the House on the day of the crisis would be assembled for Adeoti to identify the exact policeman who fired on the fateful day.
Bamisile reiterated that all businesses that took place in the House during its last sitting were in line with the constitution. He, however, promised that the election would be free and fair.