The six Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) House of Representatives members from Ekiti State have condemned last Friday invasion of the State House of Assembly by armed operatives of the Department of State Service (DSS), describing the invasion as “criminal desecration of the
scared hallowed chamber which must be condemned by all lover of democracy in the world.”
The House of Representatives members also admonished the DSS to stick to its constitutional roles of protecting Nigeria against domestic threats by assisting other security agencies with enough intelligence, adding that the DSS under President Muhammadu Buhari has taken over the duties of the police, military, civil defence, immigration and other security agencies.
In a statement on Monday by the House of Representatives members, Kehinde Agboola (Ekiti North I), Thaddeus Aina (Ekiti North II), Ayo Oladimeji (Ekiti Central I), Olamide Oni (Ekiti Central II), Segun Adekola (Ekiti South I) and Akin Awodumila (Ekiti South II), they reiterated their support for Governor Ayodele Fayose, describing him as “the emerging face of opposition politics in Nigeria.”
They accused the Presidency of using the DSS to torment the government and people of Ekiti State because of Fayose’s critical stance on the Buhari administration, saying: “Any attempt to muscle opposition in a democracy is a direct invitation to anarchy.”
The statement reads: “We condemn in strong terms, the last Friday invasion of the Ekiti State House of Assembly complex and we call on other lovers of democracy in the country to rise against this emerging tyranny which is threatening to jeopardise democratic governance in
the country.
“Most importantly, we wish to state expressly that the DSS under President Buhari is becoming an instrument of political oppression, such that the agency has abandoned its constitutional responsibilities in pursuit of matters that should be handled by the police and other security agencies.
“For instance, what is the business of the DSS with election funding? Is the DSS now INEC, EFCC or ICPC? Is the DSS the police that it is now arresting people for mere political disagreements?
“We even read that the DSS is investigating academic qualifications of
some members of the Ekiti State House of Assembly and political
appointees and we don’t understand the relationship between the
internal security of Nigeria that the DSS is to protect and academic
qualifications of political appointees.
“The constitutional mandate of the DSS is security matters and
intelligence gathering for the protection of senior government
officials like the President, Vice President, Governors, Senate
President, Speaker of the House of Representatives and others. When
did DSS become investigators of financial crimes and election
disputes?
“We, therefore, wish to warn that Ekiti State should not be included in
the comity of PDP controlled States that the APC led Federal
Government intends to destabilise because the people, who
overwhelmingly elected Ayodele Fayose as their governor are always
ready to defend their choice.
“We also wish to express our solidarity with the State House of
Assembly and the 26 PDP members. They should know that they are not
alone in this battle to sustain democracy in Ekiti State, we are with them.”
