By Rotimi Ojomoyela

Ado-Ekiti—Ekiti State Governor, Mr Ayodele Fayose, yesterday said  he would not stop criticizing the Federal Government over its bad policies despite the recent clampdown on state officials by men of the Department of State Security, DSS.

Fayose

The governor, who arrived the state from Abuja, where he had been since Sunday to attend PDP meeting, said no policy of the FG that is inimical to the welfare of the people would be spared by his comments.

According to a press statement issued by the Governor’s Chief Press Secretary, Mr Idowu Adelusi, Fayose, who was reacting to the development for the first time since DSS officials invaded the House of Assembly Complex, Ado-Ekiti and whisked four lawmakers away said he remained resolute in his determination to criticise obnoxious policies of the president in the interest of Nigeria and our democracy.

The Commissioner for Finance, Chief Toyin Ojo, was also arrested by DSS officers but was released late Tuesday night.

“The Bible says people with God are in majority.  This is not the first time people will harass me. It is a conspiracy and it will collapse like other attempts before it. I will remain critical of the activities of the Federal Government, especially when they do things that are inimical to the welfare of Nigerians.

“Imagine the questions they asked my Commissioner for Finance, that the Federal Government has reimbursed the state government on works done on federal roads. But the records are with them in Abuja, can’t they check?  We have nothing to  hide and they are only chasing shadows and are time wasters.

“Telling the Federal Government that the economy is in trouble and that the President should stay at home to face governance is not a crime and is part of my rights  as a citizen of this country,” he said.

Answering question on the allegation that some people offered some lawmakers $1 million to impeach him, the governor expressed implicit confidence in the lawmakers.

“I am just coming from Abuja and I know that our lawmakers are solid guys and their future and mine are tied together. When the APC was at its peak in the state and they wanted to use 19 lawmakers to impeach me, they failed woefully and they will still fail again,” the governor noted.

Perjury: Aluko loses bid to stop arrest, prosecution

Meantime, the embattled former secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP,  in Ekiti State, Temitope Aluko yesterday lost his bid to set aside the order of an Ado-Ekiti Chief Magistrate Court for his arrest and prosecution for alleged perjury.

The court, at its sitting struck out Aluko’s motion on notice, seeking the setting aside of the warrant of arrest issued against him on February 3, 2016.

Chief Magistrate Soji Adegboye, described the motion filed by Aluko’s counsel, Mr Niran Owoseni, as a mere academic exercise, time wasting and abuse of court process.

The motion on notice, which was dismissed yesterday, had stalled the execution of the arrest warrant issued against Aluko.

Assembly summons Fayemi over N852m UBEC fund

Meantime, the  State House of Assembly, in a move that seemed retaliatory of recent arrest of some of its members by the Directorate of State Services, DSS, yesterday gave a 13-day ultimatum to ex Governor Dr Kayode Fayemi to appear before it and explain the misappropriation of the N852 million Universal Basic Education Commission, UBEC fund.

The Assembly also gave March, 22 for the former governor and current Minister for Solid Mineral to appear before it.

NBA, TUC carpet DSS over lawmakers’ arrest

Also, the Nigerian Bar Association, NBA and the organized labour have accused President Muhammadu Buhari of sliding into dictatorship, saying such tendency is inimical to the survival of democracy.

In a statement in Ado-Ekiti yesterday by NBA Chairman, Dr Foluke Dada, the body said it views the arrest and detention by the DSS as a sharp departure from the tenets of Democracy and a clear contravention of the Law setting up the Institution.

On its part, the Chairman, Trade Union Congress, TUC, in Ekiti, Odunayo Adesoye, described it as a dangerous trend that could expose workers of the state to serious security risk.

He said workers in the state are now apprehensive of what could happen at their duty posts due to anxiety created by the alleged invasion of the House by security agents.