Youth protest ground Omuo-Ekiti over suspension of lawmaker

YOUTHS in Omuo Ekiti, headquarters of Ekiti East Local Government Area of Ekiti State, at the weekend staged a protest in the community to protest the suspension of the lawmaker representing them in the state’s House of Assembly, Mr Ojo-Ade Fajana.

Fajana was suspended by the Assembly on August 30 for 101 legislative days without pay, in the first instance, “except he shows signs of genuine remorse.”

The placard-carrying protesters massed along the major road leading to the local government headquarters and crippled the movement of vehicles in and out of the community for hours.

The protesters, who were led by Samuel Olajide, demanded unconditional reversal of the suspension of Fajana within one week by the Ekiti State House of Assembly.

Olajide said that the entire Ekiti East Constituency 1 had been “denied of representation in the scheme of things at the Assembly,” noting that “the reason given by members of the Ekiti State Assembly for the suspension is laughable, unjust and unconstitutional.”

According to the protesters, “members of the Assembly were merely acting the script of their principal,” and therefore appealed to well-meaning Nigerians including the leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) “to call the Ekiti Assembly to order before they throw the State into avoidable crisis.”

They said “The youths in this local government came out in their numbers to protest against unjust and illegal suspension of the member representing Ekiti East Local Government Constituency 1, in Ekiti State Assembly.

“The suspended member was being persecuted because of his closeness and allegiance to Senator Biodun Olujimi who is also from this community. We ask whether there is any law in the land, whether in the party constitution, the House Rule or even the 1999 constitution as amended that forbid people from associating with one another.

“We came to the conclusion that our representative is being punished because of the governorship ambition of Olujimi which we are aware did not go down well with the power that be in Ekiti government house.

“We therefore demand immediate and unconditional reinstatement of lawmaker in who we are well pleased. If they fail to recall him within one week, they should awaits further actions from us,” they stated.