The new Ekiti State Government has ordered the closure of all filling stations sited within residential and public institutions across state, directing the owners to forward their documents to relevant ministries for verifications and approval.

The Speaker of state House of Assembly, Dr. Adewale Omirin, described the closure of his new filling station in Ado-Ekiti on the orders of the Governor as a clear case of witch-hunt.

But the Governor’s Chief Press Secretary, Idowu Adelusi, explained the essence of closing petrol stations was to ensure sanity and safety in the state capital.

The Speaker, in a statement made available to newsmen in Ado-Ekiti, through his Special Adviser on Media, Wole Olujobi, hinted that he had confronted Governor Fayose on many occasions over his alleged plot to attack his business interest in Ekiti, adding that the governor had denied the allegation.

Omirin on Wednesday confirmed that all was not well with him and Governor Ayo Fayose as he accused the governor of pursuing an intimidation agenda against him.

Omirin, a chieftain of the rival All Progressives Congress (APC) hinted that informed sources within the assembly had told him of the plot before it was finally hatched.

He denied a charge levelled against him by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) of attempting to act as agent of the former administration to frustrate the new government.

Report had it that some Assembly members mainly from Ekiti North Senatorial District, were plotting the ouster of Omirin, citing power imbalance as one of the reasons. The Assembly is made of 26 members with 19 belonging to APC and seven are PDP.

What appeared to be a mutual distrust among the two principal officers was noticed during the inauguration of the Governor Fayose which Omirin failed to attend.

The declaration of one month recess shortly after the swearing-in ceremony by the Speaker also fuelled suspicion .This action was later reversed few days ago but the Assembly is yet to resume plenary.

In his reaction, Adelusi, dismissed the Speaker’s claim saying his boss did not have such a plan.

The governor ‘s spokesman urged the Speaker to conduct himself in an honourable manner and not to drag the governor into a phantom plot against him.

“What Omirin was saying is a total falsehood. No iota of truth in it. While some petrol stations were sited in public institutions or residential areas, everybody knows the danger it can cause if there is fire outbreak which had happened in some towns where lives were lost and property destroyed. Even in Lagos State, you cannot just site petrol station anyhow.

“Omirin should have nothing to fear, because the Governor has nothing against him. He should behave like good politician and refrain from conniving with his party to do something unholy.

“His party lost the election and another Governor sworn in, so we expect him to co-operate with the government than creating a stumbling blocks,” he stated.

But the Speaker insisted that Fayose ‘s order amounted to an act of intimidation and coercion, stressing that it would not force him to betray what he termed as ‘the people that voted him into office, saying he would not buckle under undue political pressure to abandon his party, All Progressive Congress for the Peoples Democratic Party for selfish and pecuniary motives.

He said he has fulfilled all necessary environmental laws in the location of the filling station and got necessary approval, wondering why the governor is starting early in the day victimising those who do not share his political belief.

“Honourable Joseph Dele Olugbemi had told me two days after the governor’s inauguration that he (the governor) had made up his mind to close my filling station over refusal to join PDP. Hon. Olugbemi defected to PDP on the day Governor Fayose was inaugurated.

“I had earlier told the governor that in the interest of Ekiti people, the House of Assembly would work with him to deliver dividends of democracy for the good people of Ekiti State.

“I called the governor to confirm what the honourable member told me about the plan to close my filling station. The governor denied any of such plan, swearing that he would not pursue any victimisation agenda against the opponents.

“But only yesterday the governor ordered the closure of the filling station, citing environmental factor,” the Speaker explained.

 Omirin said he had a background of political fidelity anchored on progressive democratic practice and so would not abandon principle in pursuit of selfish agenda diametrically opposed to the ethos of his political belief.

In another development, the Governor, Mr Peter Ayodele Fayose will today, Thursday, October 23, 2014 swear in Justice Emmanuel Bamidele Omotoso whose promotion as judge had since been approved ? by the Nigerian Judicial Commission ( NJC).

The swearing in ceremony will take place at Lady Jibowu Hall, Government House, Ado Ekiti.

Fayose reiterated the position of his administration on the Local Council Development Areas (LCDA) created by the former governor, Dr Kayode Fayemi, stressing that besides the fact that the matter is in court, he would comply fully with provisions of the Nigerian Constitution on local government creation.

The Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Mr Idowu Adelusi, in a statement made available to the press, said Fayose noted that Section 7 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as amended clearly spells out the authorities and procedures for the creation of local government.

The Governor stressed that pending the pronouncements of the courts, the administration would be guided by the provision of Section 3 and Part 1, first schedule of the 1999 Constitution on the list of L?ocal Governments in Nigeria in the allocation of resources to that tier of government.