Kayode Fayemi is a wanted person – Ekiti Assembly

- The Ekiti state House of Assembly says Kayode Fayemi breached the constitution by failing to appear before the House, after it had summoned him three times in the last one year.

 - The lawmakers describes the N500 million suit filed by Fayemi against the House as an effort in futility.

- The Ekiti Assembly has directed the inspector general of police, the state commissioner of police and the Interpol to arrest Kayode Fayemi anywhere he is seen The Ekiti state House of Assembly has declared that the immediate past governor of the state, who is also the current minister for mines and solid minerals development, Dr Kayode Fayemi, remains a wanted person.

The House made the statement on Thursday, April 6, in reaction to the suit filed by Fayemi, demanding N500 million damages from the Assembly. The chairman, committee on information, youth and sports development, Dr Samuel Omotoso, described the lawsuit instituted by the minister as an effort in futility. In the statement which was sent to NAIJ.com, Omotoso said Fayemi breached the said constitution by failing to appear before the House, after it had summoned him three times in the last one year over some allegations of corruption levied against him. Omotoso said: “the attention of the Ekiti State House of Assembly has been drawn to some newspapers publications where the wanted Minister of Solid Minerals, John Kayode Fayemi, claimed that he had sued the House for N500 million for issuing a warrant of arrest against him, due to his failure to appear before the Assembly on three consecutive invitations spanning a year period. “As a former governor and a serving minister, one would have expected him to be abreast of due process, especially as it relates to service of court processes which, is at the instance of the bailiffs. “Rather than communicating with the Assembly through any court process (if any), or through the appropriate channels, Kayode Fayemi prefers the comical way of media blitz and sensationalism.” The lawmaker said in carrying out one of its oversight functions of accountability, the Ekiti state House of Assembly, as well as the National Assembly, have powers under the constitution to invite anybody, anywhere in Nigeria to appear before it as long as he/she is relevant to the issues under purview. Omotoso said following the failure of Fayemi to honour all the three invitations without any official explanation, the House had no choice than to exercise its powers as conferred in Section 129 (d) of the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, by issuing a warrant of arrest on him. The lawmaker noted that it had directed the inspector general of police, the state commissioner of police and the interpol; and any private citizen of Nigeria to arrest Dr John Kayode Fayemi anywhere he is seen and bring him to the House as allowed by Section 129 (e) of the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria.

“The EKHA has also gone ahead to approach the court to issue an order of mandamus to compel the police, through the IGP, to forcefully bring the wanted man, Kayode Fayemi, to the floor of the EKHA.” “It’s so obvious that Dr Fayemi is taking lessons from his counterparts facing similar diatribes at the National Assembly by rushing to an imaginary court without the knowledge of the EKHA”.

Dr John Kayode Fayemi is a wanted person by the EKHA and must be arrested immediately. This is the position of the law,” Omotoso said.

Source: NAIJ.com