As the Oyo State House of Assembly resumes legislative business today after a six-week recess, the All Progressives Congress (APC) has raised alarm over alleged plans by loyalists of Governor Seyi Makinde to harass and victimise Hon. Ibrahim Shittu, the lawmaker representing Saki West State Constituency.
The party’s publicity secretary, Olawale Sadare, in a statement yesterday in Ibadan, commended residents of the state, especially those in Saki, for opposing what he described as a fraudulent loan and rejecting the assembly leadership and the PDP’s condemnation of Shittu.
“We have uncovered plans by individuals close to Governor Makinde to target Hon. Shittu on the assumption that he exposed details of the N300 billion loan. The truth is that he only responded to an inquiry from his party,” Sadare said.
According to him, part of the alleged plot included mobilising thugs to the assembly complex on Tuesday to attack and harass Shittu and other APC lawmakers physically.
“Also, the House leadership has concluded plans to accuse Hon. Shittu of breaching assembly rules to set up a kangaroo panel and hand him an indefinite suspension,” the party alleged.
Sadare described the development as an attempt to silence opposition in the state, claiming that “unscrupulous elements around the governor were behind the moves.”
He urged eminent personalities within and outside the state to intervene and called on security agencies to protect Shittu’s rights and ensure his safety.
Shittu, an APC member, recently made headlines after distancing himself from the assembly’s controversial approval of Makinde’s N300 billion loan request. The loan was allegedly passed by only 13 of the 32 assembly members, raising concerns about due process.