The peace meeting called by eminent lawyer, Chief Afe Babalola, between Ekiti State Governor, Mr. Peter Ayodele Fayose, and the 19 legislators on the platform of the All Progressives Party (APC) failed yesterday.
It was shunned by the lawmakers who alleged that the Governor planned to get them arrested at the venue.
Fayose won the Governorship election on the ticket of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Other legislators from his party, in the outgoing Assembly, recently claimed to have impeached the APC Speaker and purported to have appointed another Speaker, who is a PDP member, despite being minority.
At exactly 11am, Chief Babalola was already seated with other Ekiti elders like Chief Deji Fasuan, the Secretary of YCE, Dr kunle Olajide, and the former Minister of National Planning, Chief Ayo Ogunlade to receive the parties.
Shortly after, the PDP Speaker, Dele Olugbemi and his other colleagues arrived with Governor Fayose who also came with his entourage to the meeting which dragged for more than two hours.
Security around the Afe Babalola University, the venue of the meeting, was tight as heavily armed policemen and officials of the Directorate of State Security (DSS) numbering about 300, led by the Commissioner of Police Joshua Ibine, and DSS Duke Fubara were seen battle-ready to ensure safety as directed by the Inspector General of Police, Solomon Arase.
A former President of the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA), Chief wole Olanipekun, sent a text to the convener which was read to journalists. In it, Olanipekun said that he had to cancel all appointments he had in a bid to come for the meeting but could not attend following a message by the APC lawmakers that the meeting had been called off.
Olugbemi said he and others had been invited to Osun State for a meeting where the plot to remove the Governor was hatched. He added that the motive for the crisis was to make sure that Governor Fayose is removed.
Fayose, who denied any plan to arrest the APC lawmakers, said that but not for his experience, he would have been impeached a long time ago. He pleaded: “We should allow governance to run.”
Fayose said that the impeachment move against him had failed because the APC lawmakers did not have the support of Chief Babalola this time, saying his first impeachment was successful because the eminent lawyer supported it.
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