Six members of the House of Representatives representing Ekiti State have condemned last Friday’s “invasion” of the State House of Assembly by the State Security Service, describing the action as a desecration of the hallowed chamber of the state legislature.
In a joint statement in Ado-Ekiti on Monday, the 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), all of the Peoples Democratic Party, said the SSS veered off its constitutional roles of protecting Nigerians against domestic threats and intelligence gathering.
The lawmakers alleged that the SSS was investigating academic qualifications of some members of the Ekiti State House of Assembly and political appointees.
“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 statement said.
They accused the SSS of usurping the duties of the police, military, and other security agencies.
“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 jeopardize democratic governance in the country,” the statement said.
“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?”
The lawmakers said the state should not be subjected to the destabilizing force of the federal government.
“We also wish to express our solidarity with the State House of Assembly and the 26 PDP members,” the federal lawmakers said.
“They should know that they are not alone in this battle to sustain democracy in Ekiti State, we are with them.”
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