We won’t be rubber-stamp for Fayose – Ekiti lawmakers-elect

Ayodele-FayoseThe lawmakers-elect for the Ekiti State House of Assembly have vowed not to be rubber-stamp legislators for Governor Ayodele Fayose, whom they described as their mentor and leader.

All the 26 lawmakers-elect of the assembly are members of the Peoples Democratic Party and die-hard loyalists of the governor.

Addressing journalists at a press briefing in Ado Ekiti, the state capital on Sunday, the lawmaker-elect for Moba Constituency 1, Kola Oluwawole, who spoke on behalf of his colleagues, assured the people that matters brought before them by the governor would be subjected to thorough debate, in the interest of the people.

He added that the next Assembly would also uphold the principle of separation of powers, despite the fact that they belong to the same party with the governor.

Oluwawole said, “The next Assembly won’t be rubberstamp. We are going to give the people robust legislation through thorough and dispassionate debate of issues brought before us.

“We can disagree with the Governor, if that will make Ekiti better, but that will not truncate our relationship as brothers and sisters. We will do exactly what the constitution empowers us to do, which is to serve as checks and balances to the executive.

“The Lagos and Osun Assemblies in the Southwest were populated by members of APC, does that make them rubberstamp? So, it will be wrong for people to think we are going to be rubberstamp because we are Fayose’s loyalists”.

On the impeachment crisis rocking the Assembly, the lawmakers-elect claimed that they had reached out to leader of the 19 All Progressives Congress lawmakers, Speaker Adewale Omirin, on the need to tread the path of honour, but that their overtures were rejected.

He said, “Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State inherited a PDP-dominated Assembly from Prof Osunbor, but he was not driven out of town because of this. Omirin and other APC lawmakers should forget about personal ambitions and give the needed cooperation to the Governor.

“It is an understatement to say that the APC has continued to find ways to destroy the government and make Ekiti ungovernable. You cannot but notice the underhand deals of these legislators, the scandalous and moral bankruptcy that had reduced Ekiti to a State of anomie in the last six months.

“It is disheartening to see supposed men of honour to descend so low and bring shame and odium, not only to the government but to their state and made their people a laughing stock in the eyes of other Nigerians.

“Ekiti people are people with high integrity. This unnecessary hullabaloo has dealt a devastating blow on our moral psyche and our image as a people has been seriously battered.

“We are calling on the people to aippeal to the conscience of the APC lawmakers and their sponsors to stop the demonisation of our governor and the PDP as a party.

“They are advised to stop these destructive campaigns and focus on issues of development”.