FAYOSE PRESENTS 2015 BUDGET TO SEVEN PDP LAWMAKERS

Governor Fayose

Ekiti State Governor, Ayo Fayose, on Monday presented the appropriation bill for the 2015 fiscal year to seven lawmakers of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) inside the hallowed chamber of the state’s House of Assembly.

Fayose, who made the presentation to the PDP caucus led by factional Speaker Dele Olugbemi also declared that “nobody can remove Olugbemi from office.”

The governor also vowed that any attempt to overrun the state will be resisted.

The All Progressives Congress (APC) legislators were absent from the budget presentation ceremony which was witnessed by senior government officials and a handful of traditional rulers.

All the legislators’ chairs were occupied as members of the public were allowed to sit in the hallowed chamber.

There was massive security build-up around the Assembly complex with soldiers, riot policemen, operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) and Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) standing guard within the premises of the legislative chambers.

Only the cameras of the Press Crew of the Governor’s Office and the Press Unit of the House of Assembly were allowed to cover the proceedings.

Journalists from the electronic media were not allowed to record the proceedings with their cameras as they only interviewed the governor on the budget presentation when he was heading towards his car parked in front of the complex main door.

The size of the budget presented by Fayose was N80.774 billion and it was tagged “Budget of Reality.”

According to the budget estimate, N48.7 billion was earmarked for recurrent expenditure, while capital expenditure will gulp N31.9 billion

Contrary to his earlier position that he would not borrow to run his administration, Fayose said would access N5 billion internal loans to meet up with some commitments.

Fayose used the occasion to affirm his support for Olugbemi’s leadership” of the Assembly, maintaining that the “factional Speaker” would remain in office till June next year.

His words: “You (Olugbemi) are the Speaker of this Assembly, I repeat, you are the Speaker of this Assembly and nobody can remove you from this position. I want to emphasize that this Speaker will remain there till June.

“If they (APC lawmakers) like, they should be meeting and sitting in the Houses of Assembly in other states. Any attempt to overrun this state will be resisted by our people.”