By Rotimi Ojomoyela

Tension has gripped Ekiti state, as armed policemen from Abuja last night invaded the  State to  arrest  Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, leaders, top government officials and 11 members of the State House of Assembly with the  allegation of stockpiling arms during the June 21, 2014 governorship election.

File: Ekiti-lawmakers

The policemen were led by one CSP Mohammed Abubakar of the Force Criminal Investigation Department, CID, Abuja.

Governor Ayodele Fayose’s Special Assistant on Public Communications and New Media,  Lere Olayinka, who made this known in a statement, said the new plot was an aftermath of the failure of the Department of State Services, DSS, to achieve the plot of coercing the House of Assembly members to impeach governor  Fayose.

The government said the indiscriminate arrest, which began last night made the policemen to arrive Ado Ekiti, the State capital with Mr TKO Aluko and APC Chairman, Jide Awe earlier in the day.

“We are aware of the arrival of policemen from Abuja to Ekiti State with the intention of arresting 11 members of the House of Assembly, two PDP leaders per local government and some other top officials of the government.

“Ridiculously, the offence for which the policemen are to embark on this indiscriminate arrest is owing to TKO Aluko malicious outburst  that those listed for arrest stockpiled arms during the governorship election conducted in Ekiti close to two years ago.

“This plot is in furtherance of the APC plot to destabilize the government of Ekiti State just because of Governor Fayose’s hard stance on President Mohammadu Buhari’s APC government policies.

“The question is, what was the arms they claimed were stockpiled used for? Was anyone killed or attacked during the election?

“And why is the Police not arresting the APC Chairman, Jide Awe who is wanted for alleged murder and TKO Aluko, who was declared wanted by the court for perjury, and instead providing security cover for them?

“We therefore which to alert Nigerians on this new plot and state that Ekiti people will resist any attempt to use the Police to harass innocent citizens of the State.

“Democratically, we are entitled to our views on any issue in Nigeria and we won’t succumb to intimidation and harassment from any agency of the Federal government.”

Several attempts made to reach the All Progressives Congress, APC, through its spokesperson, Mr Taiwo Olatunbosun, were unsuccessful as he did not pick his calls.

However, the former Secretary of the Peoples’ Democratic Party in Ekiti State, Dr Tope Aluko has denied the knowledge of arrest of any PDP chieftain in the state.

He told Vanguard that he did not arrive the state with any contingent of policemen from Abuja as against the insinuation making the rounds that he was pointing out PDP members for arrest.

“As I speak with you now, I just arrived my house, I’m yet to open my door, I’m not aware of any arrest and I don’t know the where about of the Chief jide Awe, the APC chairman in Ekiti State.