Again, Ekiti Assembly summons ex-Gov Fayemi, threatens to arrest him if…

For the third time, the Ekiti State House of Assembly has summoned the immediate past governor of the state, Dr Kayode Fayemi, to appear before it over issues related to the finances state when he served as the governor.

Fayemi, who is the Minister of Solid Minerals Development, the Assembly said, is to appear before it on Tuesday, February 7.

The House also threatened to issue a warrant of arrest on Fayemi should he fail to honour their latest invitation on Februrary 7, which makes it the third time they have invited the former governor following allegations of misappropriation of funds belonging to the state.

The house threatened that if the former governor failed to honour the invitation, “the Assembly will be forced to invoke Section 129 (d) of the 1999 Constitution as amended.”

At its plenary on Thursday, the House decried what it referred to as “the nonchalant attitude of the former governor to previous invitations”, saying “this as unbecoming of a public figure who had also served the people.”

The members said that “Section 129 (d) of the constitution empowers the Assembly to issue a warrant to compel the attendance of any person who, after being summoned, fails, refuses or neglects to do so.”

The Leader of House Business, Mr. Olatunji Akinyele, who moved the

Motion for the invitation of the former governor, said “he should appear to shed light on the allegations of misappropriation and diversion of public funds made against him.”

The motion, which was seconded by Dele Fajemilehin, representing Gbonyin constituency, caused a debate by members of the Assembly.

Members namely Ekundayo Akinleye, Titilayo Owolabi-Akerele, and Dr Samuel Omotoso argued on the need for the Assembly “to take proactive measures in compelling the former governor to appear before the Assembly members.”

Omotoso, who has been sued at an Abuja high court by Fayemi, for libel, described the court action against him and the media aide to the state governor, Lere Olayinka, as blackmail.”

Omotosho said he would not be deterred towards making the former governor accountable for his actions while in office.

The Speaker of the Assembly, Mr. Kola Oluwawole, used the occasion of the debate to also decry what he said was “the selective application of the anti-corruption crusade of the Federal Government.”

Oluwawole called on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to “immediately commence action on the petition submitted to it by the Assembly.”

Fayemi had sued Dr Omotoso, who is the Chairman of the Ekiti Assembly Committee on Information, and Mr. Lere Olayinka, special assistant to Governor Ayodele Fayose on Public Communications and New Media, for N30 billion after the duo had allegedly made comments that he said portrayed him as a corrupt person.

Fayemi had said Omotoso and Olayinka made comments that portrayed him as a “very corrupt public office holder and fraudulent person who siphoned public funds at the detriment of Ekiti citizens while serving as governor”, in the media, and that they failed to retract the statements.

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