A former Ekiti State Governor, Mr Ayodele Fayose , on Friday said he escaped attack by a whisker while leaving the House of Assembly in Ado Ekiti, the state capital.
Fayose , who appeared at the Assembly on Friday on the invitation of the legislative body , said , “ It was on our way from the Assembly that some people trailed us in a Pick -up purposely to attack us. We managed to escape. In short , one of them nearly broke my head .”
The former governor , who said he came to honour the Assembly ’s invitation because “ a clear conscience fears no accusation ” , said, “ When I got to the Assembly, they said they were not ready and that they would inform me when they were ready . As a matter of fact, since they accused me of financial misappropriation , they were supposed to be ready . ”
However, he went into a closed -door session with the Speaker, Funminiyi Afuye , and two other lawmakers .
The Assembly had summoned Fayose ; a former Speaker of the Assembly, Kola Oluwawole ; a former Chairman of the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria , Mr Dapo Olagunju ; a former Commissioner for Local Government Affairs, Mr Kola Kolade ; and the 16 local government chairmen elected during Fayose ’ s tenure over allegations bordering on misappropriation of funds.
The former governor in a told journalists said, “ I got this by noon yesterday ( Thursday ) and I called the Speaker to confirm whether it was true and he confirmed it . You know my style . When the EFCC ( Economic and Financial Crimes Commission ) wanted me , I told them ‘ I’m here’ .
“ So, I have come to the House of Assembly to tell them I’ m available for their questions . I drove down from Lagos to tell them that there was no hiding place for some of us, so, I am here and ready to give an account of my stewardship .”
Fayose , who denied he had been given a soft landing by the Federal Government in the EFCC’ s case against him , said he would not compromise standards.
He said, “ I will not follow the multitude to sin . I want to believe that selective justice will not help our country .
“ I have condemned anyone who says that in Nigeria , when you come to the All Progressives Congress, then you become a saint . I am telling you , I will never become a member of the APC , I will never defect .
“ If I wanted a soft landing against my party, against my candidate , that would have happened in the past , I stood my ground during the elections . So, that is impossible .”
Meanwhile, Afuye said that Fayose ’s “ ambush ” to the House of Assembly complex was resisted because he came unannounced .
In a statement by his Special Adviser on Media, Tai Oguntayo , the Speaker said, “ After the resolution of the Assembly at the plenary on Thursday inviting the former governor to appear before the House , he called the Speaker to confirm if the report was true .
“ The Speaker confirmed to Mr Fayose that it was true and that was the end of the discussion .
“ When Mr Fayose announced his readiness to the Speaker, he was told to go back and await the official invitation letter from the House of Assembly .
“ The former governor was accorded his due respect on arrival at the House of Assembly, being a former first citizen of the state .”
The spokesperson for Governor Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State , Yinka Oyebode , did not answer his calls .
When contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer for Ekiti State Command, Caleb Ikechukwu , said, “ I have not been briefed about that. ”
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