Ekiti House of Assembly members have alleged that the federal government tried to bribe them with $1m each to impeach Governor Ayo Fayose.
The allegations were made on an AIT TV programme this morning. The legislators, including Deputy Speaker Adewunmi Segun claimed that unnamed agents of the Department of State Services (DSS) made the $1m offer for them to remove Fayose from office.
On 4 March the DSS had raided the House of Assembly and arrested four of the 26 members. The four members are still being held allegedly in Abuja.
Governor Fayose has been mounting a robust opposition against the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari, and the legislators suggest the current crisis is related to the governor’s very vocal opposition.
Gboyega Aribishogan, Chairman of the assembly’s Committee on Information said: “Even the cause of this invasion has not been revealed. It is sad that this brutal force is being unleashed in a democracy. The sanctity of the legislature has been violated and the assembly is in disarray. We have it on good authority that men who claim to be from the DSS have been calling our members, telling them to join the APC [All Progressives Congress] so they can get soft landing, and they were offered $1 million each.”
