The Ogun State Police Command yesterday sealed off the state secretariat which houses both the Governor’s Office, and the House of Assembly at Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta. Police said it was necessary to prevent factions embroiled in a tussle over the leadership of the assembly from gaining entrance into the premises.
However, civil servants who saw fully armed policemen cordoning off the area, fled their offices to avoid becoming victims of the fracas.
The Police spokesperson in the state, Muyiwa Adejobi, said the command took the action after receiving information that hoodlums were planning to burn down the complex. Asked if the command got its directive from Abuja, he said he was not aware of any such orders. “I am not aware of any directive from Abuja to close the gates, if there is such, it has to be from the Inspector General of Police to the Commissioner, we only move to ensure peace following information that some hoodlums were planning to burn the place and some other areas in the state”.
As early as 7am, policemen led by the Commissioner of Police, Musa Daura, arrived the premises of the secretariat, and the two gates leading into the premises were soon manned by armed officers.
Living in fear
Most workers who fled their offices said they were afraid of being attacked by supporters of the factions who may mistake them for opponents.
Speaking via the telephone, the impeached Speaker, Tunji Egbetokun, said his group of G-15 remains intact, but will not be employing any violence. He also said members will soon find a place to convene a meeting.
“We are still much in control, no cause for alarm. The mace, which is the assembly authority is still with us, and we are going to get a conducive place to do our sittings.”
Late yesterday, sources say President Goodluck Jonathan will be meeting with Mr. Egebtokun’s group in Abuja. This may be an indication that members have the ears of the president especially since Gbenga Daniel did not attend the meeting Mr Jonathan held with all the Peoples Democratic Party governors last night.
Claims and counter claims
The new Speaker, Soyemi Coker, said he is unable to say on which specific date his team will start sitting in the assembly, but denied that the mace used for the impeachment belonged to the Abeokuta South local government..
He told journalists shortly after visiting the secretariat of the PDP in Abeokuta with four members of his ‘G-9’ team that the ‘G-15’ lawmakers cannot hold the state to ransom. “I cannot be specific when we are going to start sitting in the house, can you yourself as journalists be specific when you are going to get back to your home? Also it is not correct that we used the mace of the local government, a mace is a mace” he said.
Mr. Coker said the new leadership is grateful to Mr. Daniel who they visited shortly after the impeachment of the former leadership, to inform him of the change of guards.
The Abeokuta South Local Government also denied that its mace was used during the impeachment. The Leader of the councillors, Fatai Adeleke, said, “I want to ask Mr. Egbetokun if Abeokuta South Local Government was inscribed on the mace he claimed belonged to it. Let me also say that the Chairman does not in any way interfere with the affairs of the legislative council, not to talk of having access to the legislative mace.” He said the allegation was a figment of Mr. Egbetokun’s imagination, demanding that he apologises within 12 hours or be sued.
A two time governorship candidate of the National Conscience Party in state, Lanre Banjo, said the manner in which the nine lawmakers impeached the Speaker, using what he called “armed robbery tactics,” should be condemned.
He said, “The first business of the day after entering the premises of the Assembly, like Shina Rambo, was to reinstate the suspended members of the house to swell the numbers of pro-executive members of the house to eleven (11) and to strengthen their quorum for the resolutions they were about to pass. Except that impeachment requires a minimum of 16 members.”
Mr. Banjo appealed to all those he called elders in the state to intervene in the crisis.
