The meeting which was held at Sunview Hotel, Alagbaka, had five of the APC lawmakers in attendance and lasted for over five hours.

At the meeting were the embattled Speaker, Dr. Adewale Omirin, his deputy, Tunji Orisalade, Bunmi Orilowo, Churchill Adedipe and Gbenga Odebunmi.

Also at the meeting were the Chief of staff to the Governor, Dipo Anisulowo; the Ekiti State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Owoseni Ajayi; a lawmaker-elect, Kola Oluwawole, and the State Commissioner of Police, John James.

Both parties, however, kept sealed lips on the outcome of the meeting when journalists approached them after the meeting.

Fayose said, “I don’t want to answer any question, but we are only going to make one statement and the statement is: today we have met, in the overall interest of our state believing that we will be able to find solution to the problem.”

When also asked to comment, Omirin too declined saying, “What the governor said was actually what we have done.”

Shortly after the meeting, the governor left while the five lawmakers continued with the meeting.

The lawmakers had, on April 30, shunned a peace meeting convened by Afe Babalola (SAN) to reconcile them with the governor in Ado Ekiti citing insecurity.

However, in a statement later issued by Omirin’s Special Adviser on Media, Wole Olujobi, the APC lawmakers, who said they acceded to the governor’s request for a fence-mending meeting following his phone calls to the Speaker, the lawmakers insisted on a return to the status quo as of November 11, 2014, before any peace deal could be struck.

The statement said that “While the governor emphasised before the lawmakers the offer of their salaries and other entitlements, the lawmakers insisted on t‎he return to the status quo as of November 11, 2014.

“That means restoring all the principal officers to their positions and all aides of the Speaker, Deputy Speaker, including those of other principal officers should be restored to their positions,” the statement explained.

“The lawmakers made it clear they were ready to return to their jobs and the governor should provide atmosphere for that possibility. They asked the governor to clear the House of Assembly of thugs and create conditions that would make them do their jobs without any security threats.

“T‎hey insisted that restoring the security aides of the principal officers and opening the Assembly for resumption of their legal duties should be the starting point for the restoration of peace.”

Olujobi said while the lawmakers made their position clear, the governor was more on payment of the lawmakers’ entitlements while promising to look at what he could do on return to the status quo.

According to the statement, Fayose revealed he might have difficulty in resolving the return to the status quo because the matter was already in court.

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Anisulowo, who spoke at a press conference in Ado Ekiti on Sunday, said that the party had been forced to postpone the commencement of Fayose’s campaign planned for April 8 which President Goodluck Jonathan was billed to attend.

He said the party had written to Jonathan to inform him that the date had been changed because there was no alternative venue to be used for the event.

He stated that the party might be compelled to use a federal highway in the state if the state government should deny Fayose access to the Oluyemi Kayode Stadium, which he said, was built with tax payers money.

He said the party had on March 28, 2014 written a letter to the state government to allow the party to use the Oluyemi Kayode Stadium to host the President.

He, however, said that the Sports Council denied them the use of the facility in a letter dated April 2 and signed by one P.O.Dada of the Sports Council.

Anisulowo said, “The Ekiti State Stadium belongs to the Ekiti people. The public facility is being funded by the people’s money. It is therefore surprising that the people of Ekiti, who are members of the opposition party, are being denied the use of public facility.

“We are using this medium to draw the attention of Ekiti people and the whole world to the reckless and naked use of power by the ruling government under Governor Fayemi.”

But the Commissioner for Information in the state, Tayo Ekundayo, said that Fayemi was not in charge of the running of the stadium and would not deny anybody the legitimate use of public facility.

“Allowing Ayo Fayose to campaign at the stadium will not stop him from losing the election, so Governor Fayemi will not do such thing.

“Let them find out from the Sports Council why they were turned down. Maybe somebody had booked earlier for the place. We booked for the place and paid when we used it.”

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