We Goofed, Ekiti APC Apologizes To Senior Citizens

By Ayodele Oni

Lawmakers in Ekiti state House of Assembly and leadership of the ruling All Progressive Congress, (APC) are seeking truce over the leadership crisis at the legislature.

APC in the state has apologized to  seven senior lawyers, who are indigenes of the state for dishonouring them while the crisis lasted.

APC said in a statement in Ado Ekiti on Monday that ‘We are forced to comment once again on the reaction of our seven legal legends in Ekiti, sequel to the brouhaha that ensued in the Ekiti State House of Assembly  Ekiti recently.’

The Senior Advocates, (SANs) led by Chief Afe Babalola, had condemned what they described as constitutional breaches at the assembly, which led to the impeachment of Mr Aribisogan, six days after his election as Speaker.

The APC statement, signed by the publicity secretary, Segun Dipe states that “We are aware that some crisis merchants are trying to capitalize on the situation on ground to read unintended meanings to the intervention of the 7 SANs of Ekiti origin as well as the reaction of our great party.

“We therefore express our unmitigated respect for these men in silk, who represent our best brains in the legal profession and state clearly that their intention, to the best of our understanding, does not tamper with that of our party, which is to ensure that only the best is good for our state.

“May we reiterate that as the ruling party, holding sway in both the executive and legislative arms of government in the state, we are in loco parentis to all political office holders, both the elected and appointed under the auspices of our party.

“Since we stand to benefit more from a peaceful reign in the land than anyone else and we equally stand the risk of being negatively affected by any crisis more than anyone else, we cannot afford to play a siddon look game.

“We are therefore convinced that every intervention in the seeming commotion would be for a peaceful reign in the state, which, as we said earlier, will be of great benefit to our party and not the other way round. All our intentions are geared towards giving the best to the state.

“Our party cannot afford to hold any grudge with anyone, especially the best of our legal minds at this point.

“Like every well meaning Ekiti son and daughter, they have come with their best of intentions to ensure that the peace that had characterized the affairs of the state from the time of Dr. John Kayode Fayemi is not tampered with in any form.

“We believe strongly that our illustrious SANs waded into the crisis in the heat of passion, without malice, and that their initial views might have been tampered with, unlike now that they are better informed and have a better understanding of what actually transpired in the House.

“With the transition that took place recently, which our party could not have been aloof from, all we wished for was stability in the land and not the reverse.

“Ekiti will only be better for it if there is a stable and progressive government in place that can continue from where the last administration of Dr. John Kayode Fayemi stopped, and not otherwise.

“Even when the opposition party was in the majority in the Assembly both under Rt Hon Tunji Odeyemi in his first term and Rt Hon Alagbada in his second term, there was no interference of any sort from the executive arm, yet no conflict.

“We will like those reading our party’s intervention in ensuring that sanity prevailed in the House after the passing of Rt. Hon. Funminiyi Afuye wrongly as that of Dr. Fayemi, the immediate past governor, to desist from doing so. We, as a party, take absolute responsibility for our actions.

“The crisis merchants and forum shoppers running to our legal legends for adjudication in purely House Matters resolvable by only the members using their House rules, should tell the whole world what they stand to gain by heaping the blame on the ex-Governor, who is now engaged with the national assignment of our great party.

“If Fayemi did not interfere in the house matters while on seat, why now that he has moved on? While exonerating the ex-Gov from the situation and passing a vote of confidence on him, we wish to take full responsibility for our action as a party in what is happening among our members in the House of Assembly.

“As their political parent, we are concerned and are pro-active in ensuring that only the best, which is good for the people of Ekiti, happens in the House, just like we have ensured that a very reliable, responsible and competent person in Biodun Abayomi Oyebanji, BAO, took the mantle of executive leadership after Dr. Fayemi who regained the lost values for our state.

“Ekiti deserves the best always. For as long as our party continues to produce those in power, courtesy of all well-meaning electorates, we will continue to do everything within our reach to give the state the best materials at all times.

“We will not impose, yet we will not allow anyone to hijack power in the name of political manipulation.”