•‘Deployment for security reasons’
Members of Ekiti State House of Assembly loyal to Governor Ayo Fayose have accused the police of laying siege to the parliamentary building in Ado-Ekiti, the capital.
They claimed the “heavily armed policemen” stormed the complex, about 9 pm, on Wednesday, without an official request.
Speaker Kola Oluwawole, who addressed reporters yesterday with 17 other Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) lawmakers, described the alleged incident as “strange in a democracy”.
But no policeman was seen on the Assembly complex at 10 am yesterday when The Nation visited the place.
The complex was locked.
Oluwawole accused the three All Progressives Congress (APC) lawmakers, led by Minority leader Gboyega Aribisogan of masterminding the alleged siege.
The two other APC legislators, who recently moved from the PDP are: Adeniran Alagbada and Sunday Akinniyi.
The Speaker said one of the APC legislators, who recently defected from the PDP, forged a letter purportedly written by the Clerk, Mr. Tola Esan, and addressed to Police Commissioner Bello Ahmed.
He said the purported letter requested the deployment of the police to the complex for a reason not known to majority of the legislators.
Oluwawole said the Assembly had adjourned till October 8 at a plenary on July 16, saying the alleged move to open the Assembly was the handiwork of APC members.
The Assembly had adjourned, following alleged harassment of leaders and members of PDP in the run-up to the July 14 governorship election by security agencies.
The Speaker said the Assembly, in a letter, dated July 26 and addressed to the police chief, had lodged a complaint of forgery against Aribisogan, and his call for illicit deployment of policemen.
Police spokesman Caleb Ikechukwu, a deputy superintendent of Police (DSP), said there was nothing wrong with the alleged deployment, which he described as a security matter.