The All Progressives Congress, APC, in Ekiti State has likened most members of the newly inaugurated state House of Assembly to garage touts.
According to the APC, the state Governor, Ayodele Fayose has succeeded in turning the House into his private property instead of working for the people’s interest.
APC said such selfish agenda held no promise for the growth of the state and political development of the people.
The party in a statement by the state APC Publicity Secretary, Taiwo Olatubosun, said the profile of new members in the new Assembly had revealed that most of them were incompetent and unqualified.
This, he said, the governor did to advance his personal interest.
According to the statement, “Only a few of them are worthy of the exalted position of legislators. We all saw the intrigues that characterised the primaries that returned the new members. It was ballot snatching and violence on a massive scale during the April 11 Assembly poll.
“Fayose just selected his cronies across the state above well-educated members and imposed them on the party. Most of them are miscreants and school dropouts who Fayose compensated as honourable members”.
“Fayose’s public declaration of political death for any member who works against his interest points to where Ekiti people are headed in the business of law making in the next four years.
“We saw the first public declaration of loyalty by the Assembly members on the day of inauguration when they all prostrated for Fayose in the chambers, stating he is their father,” he explained.
“Because of their inadequacies, they will legitimise and encourage illegality and impunity because they won’t understand the nitty-gritty of lawmaking process and independence of mind required in making laws that benefit the larger society outside the narrow interest of the governor.
“We cannot compare this Fifth Assembly with the outgoing Assembly in terms of composition of members. The last Assembly was composed of members who have seen it all. They are professionals, such as lawyers, medical doctors, pharmacists, architects, policy makers, public analysts and retired top civil servants.
“These are the educated people Fayose will not work with because of their courage and independence of mind. In their place are Fayose’s thugs and those that helped him to undermine the law to always have his way.
“Ekiti people should brace for many surprises and bizarre legislations from this assembly mostly composed of the people of questionable character working with the governor to achieve predetermined ends,” Olatubosun added.
In a swift reaction, the PDP said the APC was only talking out of frustration.
The party in a statement by its acting Publicity Secretary, Jackson Adebayo, said the new members of the assembly were better in all ways to candidates presented by the APC at the poll.
“Although we know that the APC is talking from a frustrated position which they find themselves after their failed evil plots to remove our Governor, Ayo Fayose, but they should also be made to know that there is nothing they say now that would change the togas of failure which has been attached to their name permanently,” the statement added.
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