The Peoples Democratic Party caucus of the Ekiti State House of Assembly on Wednesday passed into law the 2015 budget in a closed-door session, after jerking it up by about N166 million.

Governor Ayodele Fayose had on December 15 presented a N80.774 billion 2015 budget titled, “Budget of Reality” to the Assembly amid tight security.

But the Assembly after chasing out journalists from covering the plenary presided over by the factional leader, Dele Olugbemi, on Wednesday increased the budget to N80.94 billion.

Olugbemi who briefed journalists after the closed-door session said the increase was for the Assembly to carry out renovation in the Assembly.

He added that the lawmakers ensured that all the three arms of government, Executive, Judiciary and the Legislature were well represented in the budget proposal.

Journalists and other members of the public were chased out after the leader of Government Business, Samuel Ajibola, raised an objection, describing the sitting as a special one that needed to be held in closed-door.

“We are not flouting the laws if we ask non-members to walk out,” Ajibola said.

At this point, the Sergeant-at-arms and other internal security of the Assembly ordered those affected, including journalists to take their leave.

Justifying the action, Olugbemi while addressing newsmen said the House can design the kind of sitting it desired, depending on the circumstance.

Olugbemi said the House of Assembly’s committee on Appropriation did a thorough job, saying this is the first time the budgetary estimate submitted at the Assembly would be increased since 2011.

“The appropriation bill has now become a law. We decided to increase the budget estimate to prove that we are independent.”

Meanwhile, the embattled Speaker, Dr. Adewale Omirin, and other 18 lawmakers of the All Progressives Congress have described the passage of the budget as illegal and an exercise in futility.

Omirin, in a statement by his Special Adviser on Media, Wole Olujobi, described the sitting as “one in the series of comic tales by farcical politicians holding the reins of governance in Ekiti State.

He recalled that the seven PDP lawmakers had been suspended at a sitting two weeks ago in Ado-Ekiti where resolutions on the autonomy for the local governments among others were reached and sent to the National Assembly as Ekiti State contributions to the ongoing constitution amendment.

“It is sad‎ that Governor Ayodele Fayose has turned Ekiti State House of Assembly to a safari park where the macho posturing of misguided adults in G7 is being masterfully manipulated by this accomplished choreographer of political sophistry.

“In the sitting they themselves knew was illegal, they chased away print and electronic reporters that got wind of their plan to sit. They held the illegal meeting with no in-house correspondents in attendance as they were also chased out.”

Omirin insisted that APC members would continue to apply laws in whatever they do, stressing that what APC members swore to protect at inauguration is the sanctity of the Nigerian constitution.

“As far as the constitution of Nigeria is concerned, the ‘Assembly’ led by Olugbemi is an illegal body that has no place in law. APC lawmakers shall continue in the path of constitutionality for our errant and misguided colleagues to know that it is only through law, truth and honour that we can take Ekiti State to the heights that will be a pride to all our people,” Omirin said.

However, Olugbemi maintained that the sitting was legal, urging the APC lawmakers to face the reality.

Olugbemi, in a statement by his media aide, Mr Femi Iroko, said, “We sat in the hallowed chamber of the Ekiti State House of Assembly and received the bill from the duly elected governor of the state and worked on the bill in the constitutionally-designated venue for the sittings of an honourable house. Let Omirin tell the world where he and his co-travellers sat to take their wild decisions.

“Legislative matters are serious matters and not what a disgruntled set of people would go and sit in the parlour of a godfather and take decisions that can never be binding. Omirin and his group are free to call a family meeting for Aisegba-Ekiti and think they are not deluding themselves.”