The Ekiti State Governor-elect, Ayodele
Fayose, on Wednesday claimed he had uncovered a plot by the All
Progressives Congress to ensure that the Speaker of the state House of
Assembly becomes the next governor of the state instead of himself.
Fayose said this at a press conference
in Lagos on Wednesday. He said this while explaining the circumstances
surrounding an attack on a judge in the state during a court proceeding
on the eligibility suit filed against him on Monday.
He said it was through such a dubious
court judgement that a former governor, Segun Oni, was ousted, paving
the way for Governor Kayode Fayemi of the APC in 2010.
Fayose, however, vowed that the people
of the state would not allow his mandate to be stolen, as they were now
more enlightened than before.
He said, “The whole scheming in Ekiti
State is just about the APC obtaining judgement through the back door
after losing elections on June 20, 2014. You will recall that Segun
Oni’s tenure was truncated through this back door judgement by some
judicial officers who have been compromised.
“They can go as far as losing their
career if and when politicians pay them well. The Ekiti people have
spoken and they have spoken well. I came back into the country on
Tuesday night and I have been briefed on the developments in the state. I
want to state clearly that we will not allow any back door judgement to
stall my inauguration.
“Their target is to install the Speaker
of the Ekiti State House of Assembly, who is an APC member, claiming
that Fayose is not qualified to contest. I want to state that the people
of Ekiti State are interested and they are equally more enlightened
than before where someone will just come and obtain a judgement through
the back door to stall a process and steal the people’s mandate.”
He said there was the need for the
judiciary in the state to be objective and fair, alleging that the
judges in the state had been compromised because some of them were
members of the Ekiti-11.
Fayose said the plan of the APC was to
ensure that he was not sworn in on October 16 but added that it would be
impossible to stop him.
However, the APC in Ekiti State had
accused Fayose of either being ignorant of the law governing electoral
matters or he was deliberately being economical with the truth.
In a statement issued by the Director of
Publicity and Media of the party, Segun Dipe, the party advised Fayose
to always consult his legal advisers before making any statement that
would characterise him not only as legally deficient but as a desperado.
The party further berated Fayose and his
party, the Peoples Democratic Party of resorting to violence to
challenge an unfavourable court decision instead of treading the path of
honour.
The statement read in part, “Rather than
baring facts, our governor-elect is baring fangs. Rather than applying
brain and wisdom, he is applying the brawn, which he is known for.
“If Fayose is not ignorant of the law or
opting for deliberate falsehood, he would not embark on a campaign of
calumny against those who have chosen to embark on the path laid down in
both the 1999 Constitution and Electoral Law 2006 in ensuring that
justice is not only done but seen as done.
“If the admission of Fayose’s
spokesperson that his supporters carried out the act (attack on the
judge) because the judge was allegedly biased is anything to go by, the
question then remains, is the invasion of the hallowed chamber the next
step to take as a form of appeal?”
