Barely 12 hours after the presidential candidate of All Progressives Congress (APC), Major Gen Muhammadu Buhari was declared winner of Saturday’s presidential race, 19 lawmakers of the party in Ekiti State House of Assembly yesterday stormed the assembly and held a plenary session.
The members created a tense atmosphere, which led to the deployment of about 100 stern-looking security operatives by the Commissioner of Police, Mr. Taiwo Lakanu, who also ordered the closure of the assembly to prevent a breakdown of law and order.
Police and soldiers in over 10 Patrol vans came in after getting wind of the tension that was already mounting in the assembly.
Factional Speaker of the assembly, Adewale Omirin left the state alongside 18 members of the APC after a feud with seven of their Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) counterparts loyal to Governor Ayodele Fayose last year.
Subsequently, the seven lawmakers allegedly impeached Omirin on November 17, 2014 and elected a new speaker, Dele Olugbemi, who has since been presiding over the affairs of the assembly.
Those that attended the meeting included Omirin, factional Deputy Speaker, Tunji Orisalade, Wunmi Ogunlola, Ade Ajayi and Gbenga Odebunmi among others.
But the factional Majority leader, Churchill Adedipe , who was in Abuja, according to Omirin , Olasehinde Ogunrinde and Kehinde Boluwade , were absent at the sitting.
The Omirin-led lawmakers arrived the assembly in a convoy of 14 vehicles at about 11.30 a.m. and hurriedly went into plenary session, which started with praise and worship.
Staff of the assembly, who became apprehensive, started rushing out of the complex to ensure the safety of their lives.
The session lasted for 10 minutes. The lawmakers subsequently briefed newsmen, who had patiently been waiting outside.
Omirin, who spoke on behalf of the lawmakers disclosed that they were in the assembly to begin their legislative duties.
As they emerged from the assembly, some of them chanted: “Sai Buhari, Sai Baba,” the political slogan of the president-elect. Omirin described Olugbemi as an impostor, saying the rightful owner of the position had come and that nobody dared stand in his way.
“Why are you surprised that we are here? I don’t expect you to express surprise that we are in our offices, because we are duly elected as members of the state House of Assembly.
“This is my office and I shouldn’t be asked why I am here. Though we have instituted a case against the seven lawmakers for the fake impeachment against me, that would not prevent us from doing what we are supposed to do,” Omirin stated .
When asked whether Buhari’s victory prompted their action, Omirin said
“No, that is not true. It was just a mere coincidence. Don’t forget that the fact that I was not here since November does not mean I have not been performing my duties. So, whether Buhari is declared or not, we have to do our work. (Daily Sun, News Express).