Presidency Summons Gov. Daniel Over Assembly Fracas, It Is Not True- Gov.
ABUJA, Sept 06, (THEWILL) - Governor of Ogun State, Otunba Gbenga Daniel may be a guest of the presidency via the National Security Adviser (NSA) as strong indications emerged in Abuja today that he may have been officially summoned over allegations of his complicity in the crisis rocking the State House of Assembly, which culminated in the impeachment of the Speaker, Rt. Hon. Tunji Egbetokun by a faction of the House in the early hours of Monday.
Nonetheless, the governor debunked the claim in a swift reaction on phone, saying there was no such thing as a summon;.
He however, admitted that he would be in Abuja for a different function; "but I am coming to Abuja tomorrow (Tuesday) on a scheduled meeting at the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) headquarters by 1pm.
" In any case the President is not in town, the Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG) of Zone 2 has already waded into the matter. Abeokuta is calm and there is no cause for alarm.
Gov. Daniel's invitations sources told THEWILL was against the backdrop of the crisis in the State House of Assembly, which took a dangerous dimension early yesterday with the suspension of 15 other lawmakers by an 11-member group of lawmakers said to be loyal to the governor.
It was learnt that the presidency may have summoned Gov. Daniel through the office of the NSA based on security reports of the implication of the crisis in the state. A petition earlier sent to President Goodluck Jonathan by the Speaker, his deputy, Hon. Remmy Hassan and the majority leader, Hon. Sewendo Fasinu, also strengthened this action.
The source disclosed that the NSA was alerted based on allegations that the police officer who allegedly led the operation to force the Assembly chambers open for the lawmakers to sit and impeach the Speaker was one Ali Baba King with force number 360558, attached to the state house convoy.
In the petition of August 24, 2010, which was addressed to the President with, reference No. HA.225/T/1, the Speaker and the others drew the attention of the President on what they termed ugly developments which for long have been brewing in Ogun State but which has assumed a dangerous dimension.
They further alleged that the governor has emasculated the House of Assembly in an avalanche of ways and has prevented the House from sitting on a plethora of occasions.
"The executive arm led by the governor has always organized series of verbal attacks on honorable members of the House and indeed against its institution. This governor does with reckless abandon under different guises of stakeholders meetings, political rallies and even at sundry functions. As if these were not enough, the governor has sponsored innumerable invasions to the House of Assembly.
"The latest being the one carried out on August 3, 2010 in which the House was invaded by some roguish elements obviously sponsored by the governor and led by some government functionaries. Aside from the facts that it has crippled legislative duties such as sitting at plenary and discharging oversight committee functions, it has also subjected the property and the lives of the honorable members and indeed that of their family members to serious risks.
"This accounts for why instead of carrying out our legitimate duties; we have been running helter-skelter to save our dear lives. This has even culminated in the House adjourning sine die.
"Your Excellency sir, we wish to reiterate that if extra-ordinary measures are not urgently taken to address the above, the Ogun State House of Assembly may not be able to perform its constitutional responsibilities for the rest of the tenure of this administration", they wrote.