The 19 members of the All Progressives Congress in the Ekiti State House of Assembly on Monday acceded to Governor Ayodele Fayose’s request for a fence-mending meeting to restore peace to Ekiti State.
The meeting, a product of the governor’s phone calls to the former Speaker, Dr. Adewale Omirin, was held in Akure, the Ondo State capital, with both the Ekiti State Director of the Department of State Services and the Commissioner of Police in attendance.
A statement by Omirin’s Special Adviser on Media, Wole Olujobi, explained that five APC lawmakers represented their colleagues.
They insisted on their demand for a return to the status quo as at November 11, 2014.
Olujobi said in a statement: “While the governor emphasized before the lawmakers the offer of their salaries and other entitlements, the lawmakers insisted on t‎he return to the status quo as at November 11, 2014.
“That means restoring all the principal officers to their positions and all aides of the Speaker, Deputy Speaker, including those of other principal officers should be restored to their positions. “The lawmakers made it clear they were ready to return to their jobs and the governor should provide atmosphere for that possibility. They asked the governor to clear the House of Assembly of thugs and create conditions that would make them do their jobs without any security threats. T‎hey insisted that restoring the security aides of the principal officers and opening the Assembly for resumption of their legal duties should be the starting point for the restoration of peace.”
Olujobi said while the lawmakers made their position clear, Fayose paid attention to the payment of the lawmakers’ entitlements.
He promised to look at what he could do on return to the status quo, saying, however, that he might have difficulty in resolving the return to the status quo because the matter was already in court.
“We want to make it clear that the resolution of the crisis in the House of Assembly lies with the governor in acceding to our request,” the statement said.