Thugs nearly broke my head, says ex-governor
Victor Ogunje in Ado Ekiti
The former governor of Ekiti State, Mr. Ayodele Fayose, said he narrowly escaped being attacked on Friday as he staged a surprise visit to the Ekiti State House of Assembly shortly after the lawmakers summoned him to appear over alleged fraud.
The former governor explained that some people he described as thugs nearly attacked him shortly after he left the Assembly, saying “even one of them nearly broke my head”.
Fayose said the suspected thugs trailed him with a Hilux van from the Assembly and that he managed to escape from the assailants.
Shedding light on why he visited the House after a short closed door meeting with the Speaker, Hon. Funminiyi Afuye, Fayose said that he came to Ekiti House of Assembly to tell them, “I am here and if they need any clarification I can answer because clear conscience fear no foe.”
The Assembly at its Thursday plenary session summoned Fayose to appear before its Committee on Public Account over alleged misappropriation of local government funds while in office.
Also summoned alongside the former governor are the former chairman of the Association of Local Government chairmen ALGON, Mr. Dapo Olagunju, the former Commissioner for Local Government Affairs, Mr. Kola Kolade and all the former 16 local government chairmen.
The Assembly said that its decision followed the adoption of the recommendations of the Joint Committee of the House on Public Petition and Local Governments that were recently directed to look into a Petition submitted to the Assembly by eight suspended council chairmen in the state
On arrival at the Assembly complex, Fayose went straight to the Speaker’s office and was received by the Speaker, Mr. Afuye and the Deputy Speaker, Hakeem Jamiu where he met them behind closed door for about 40 minutes.
The former governor said that he received the summon via television and decided to come to see the lawmakers.
“Let me say that I got their summon on the news media and I called the Speaker last night to confirm whether it is true or not and he confirmed it. You know my style, when EFCC wanted me, I told them I am here.
“Today too I have come to the Ekiti House of Assembly to tell them, I am here and if they need any clarification I can answer because clear conscience fears no foe. I am saying it that I am available.
“The Speaker confirmed that they don’t know that I will be coming. He said that the committee in charge was not immediately available. But I want to let them know that for any question whatsoever, I am a leader am here and I will continue to be here. So I drove all the way from Lagos to tell you that there is no hiding place people like us.
“I am ready to give account of my stewardship. I don’t play politics in that manner; that is why I am here.”
On whether he was given a soft landing by the federal government on his case before the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), he said, “the Fayose you know won’t compromise standard. I won’t follow multitude to sin.
“While I want to believe that selective justice won’t help our country. I have condemned it severely anybody who says when you join APC, you have become a saint. I have said it severally that I will not join APC. If I wanted a soft landing, I would have done it in the past. What is the soft landing, is it because I am before EFCC?”
However, another twist was added to the unfolding drama yesterday when Fayose in a phone call alleged that he narrowly escaped being attacked after he left the Assembly and was on his way to his home town in Afao Ekiti.
The former governor alleged that thugs in an unmarked black Hilux Jeep trailed him and hauled stones on his moving Range Rover Jeep.
He, however, did not give details of the attack on him but said he was grateful to God for sparing his life. He said he was not hurt and nobody in his entourage was hurt.
Meanwhile, the Speaker of Ekiti State House of Assembly, Afuye said Fayose’s ambush of the House of Assembly complex was resisted because he came unannounced.
The Speaker in a press release signed by his Special Adviser, Akogun Tai Oguntayo, disclosed that after the resolution of the House of Assembly at the plenary yesterday inviting the former governor to appear before the House, he called the Speaker to confirm if the report was true. The Speaker confirmed to Fayose’s it was true and that was the end of the discussion.
The statement further disclosed that after Fayose’s phone call, the Speaker intimated two of the lawmakers of his conversation with the erstwhile governor.
Just as the Speaker was settling down in his office this afternoon, Mr. Fayose stormed his office with a retinue of press men led by his former media aide, Mr. Lere Olayinka, who was equally wanted on another issue.
The Speaker who was accompanied in his office by two other lawmakers immediately stopped the journalists from entering his office and warned Olayinka against writing any fake report.
When Fayose announced his readiness to the Speaker, he was told to go back and await the official invitation letter from the House of Assembly.
