Mixed Reactions Trail The Decision Of The Supreme Court To Uphold Fayose's Election, Ekiti Jubilates.

Supreme Court of Nigeria, on Tuesday, affirmed the election of Mr Ayodele Fayose as the governor of Ekiti State in the June 21, 2014 governorship election held in the state.

The apex Court in an unanimous judgment, dismissed the appeal brought before it by the All Progressives Congress (APC) against the concurrent judgments of the Ekiti State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal and Court of Appeal, Ekiti Division, describing the appeal as “lacking in merit.”

The appeal was filed by the APC, even though its candidate at the election, Kayode Fayemi conceded defeat.

In the lead judgment delivered by Justice Sylvester Ngwuta, the apex court held that the impeachment of Governor Fayose in 2006 was not a ground for his disqualification for the governorship race in 2014, particularly, when the Ekiti State governor impeachment panel was an “unconstitutional body” having been appointed by an Acting chief judge who was “unconstitutionally appointed” as Chief Judge of the state.

The court also said that even if Fayose was assumed to be legally impeached, he was supposed to have been referred to a court of competent jurisdiction or code of conduct for conviction based on the indictment that he was involved in a N1.3 billion fraud case, among others.

Justice Ngwuta said the allegation by the appellants that Governor Fayose forged his certificate submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for the election was false as the appellants were unable to prove the case.

On the issue of perjury, the apex court said the allegation also had not been proved before a competent court.

It will be recalled that APC had challenged the victory of Governor Fayose of Ekiti State in the last June 21 poll before the Ekiti State Governorship Election Tribunal on the ground of non-eligibility following the purported indictment and impeachment of Fayose.

Fayose’s election was also challenged for alleged perjury, after he filled his INEC form denying that he was indicted by either an administrative or judicial panel.

The Ekiti State Governorship Election Tribunal dismissed the petition filed by the APC.

Not satisfied, the political party went to the Court of Appeal which also dismissed the appeal before the party approached the Supreme Court.

Jubilation in Ekiti, as Fayose thanks people

AS news got into Ado Ekiti, the Ekiti State capital, that the Supreme Court had dismissed an appeal brought against the election of Governor Ayò Fayose, on Tuesday, residents and supporters of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) trooped out to the streets in jubilation and soon began street parties.

In Okeyinmi, a band of partying PDP supporters danced on the street as a live band delivered music as they wait for the convoy of Governor Fayose, who had embarked on a thank-you-rally in parts of the town.

Some traders and business owners left their wares to join the mini rally just as commercial motorcyclists and motorists also joined them as the governor moved from Matthew Street Roundabout through Ijigbo to  Okeyimi, Ojumose and Fajuyi Square as he retired to the Government House.

There had been anxiety in the state on Tuesday morning as some concerned people of the state called the Nigerian Tribune requesting to know the outcome of the judgement.

Governor Fayose had carried a placard bearing the inscription: “God, I thank you, Ekiti people, I thank you for your steadfastness” and personally led the carnival-like procession.

The governor, who addressed the crowd at Matthew Roundabout, said he was “delighted that all legal tussles weaved around his mandate as governor had died and laid to rest by the Supreme Court,” and expressed gratitude to the Supreme Court justices “for keeping sacred, the mandate freely given me by the Ekiti people.”

He called on those still nursing the ambition to get him out of office at all costs, and by all means to have a re-think, saying unfolding events had proven that it was God that put him in position of leadership.

It was reported that similar rallied took place in Ikere-Ekiti, home town of the Deputy Governor, Dr Kolapo Olubunmi Olusola, and the governor’s home town at Afao-Ekiti among others.

His victory God ordained —Rep-elect

THE House of Representatives-elect for Ekiti South Federal Constituency of Ekiti State, Chief Segun Adekola, has described the victory of Governor Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti State at the Supreme Court as the final confirmation of his victory, saying it has been ordained by God and the good people of Ekiti State.

He advised the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state to accept the will of the people and stop chasing  shadows and allow the governor to settle down to the task of governing the state.

He advised the APC to learn how to accept defeat whenever they are defeated the way they had roundly been defeated by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ekiti State.

‘’What I am yet to understand is this attitude by the party to pursue a lost battle. When they could not defeat Governor Fayose at the election, they tried to go through the back door. They have failed at the court and again, they are trying to organise a kangaroo impeachment. Instead of working for the development of Ekiti State, they are busy working for their personal pockets and that of their party.

S/West PDP congratulates Ekiti people, urges APC to accept defeat

THE Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the South-West zone has congratulated the people of Ekiti State and the party in the state for what it described as “serial electoral victories in Ekiti State.”

The PDP in the South-West, in a statement signed by its publicity secretary, Mr Dare Omotosho, in Ado Ekiti, chided the All Progressives Congress (APC) for “refusing to congratulate the winner of elections when they are defeated, unlike what has become the standard in the country as set by President Goodluck Jonathan.”

Omotosho said “the new political culture and standard set in the country has seen winners of elections being congratulated by their opponents, except for the APC which would always see a fault in everything done by others,” and alleged that “this is why the APC has refused to congratulate the PDP which has defeated it in five successive elections in the last 10 months in Ekiti State.”

According to him, “PDP knows that power belongs to the people, hence our slogan; and since the people have spoken with their votes, we can only congratulate the winners and wish them well,” and adding that “it is even gratifying that most of the people who recorded electoral victories in the last elections are PDP now in APC.”

He said “Why can’t they congratulate the winners when they lose? In Ekiti, they lost the governorship election on June 21, 2014; they lost the March 28 presidential poll; election to the Senate; election to the House of Representatives and the April 11 House of Assembly election. Instead of accepting defeat, all they are doing is to cause confusion in the state.”

The South-West PDP spokesperson said “our party congratulates the winners of elections in the zone and wish them well just as we expect the APC to do the same in Ekiti State by calling their lawmakers to order rather than using them to stoke the fire of trouble in the state.”

He charged the APC lawmakers in the state to “desist from taking instructions from enemies of Ekiti State in Osun and Lagos; toe the line of peace and join hands with other well-meaning people to develop their state.”

Supreme Court verdict leaves moral questions unanswered —Ekiti APC

THE All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ekiti State, in its reaction to the Supreme Court judgment affirming the victory of Mr Ayo Fayose in the June 21, 2014 governorship election, said “the verdict left moral questions unanswered.”

Publicity Secretary of the party in the state, Chief Taiwo Olatubosun, in a statement, said “even though the party had accepted the verdict because it had no choice,  there were moral issues arising from the judgment,” and added that “what flew from that judgment was that citizens can lie with ease under oath and get away with it.”

He said “As at the time Mr Fayose filled his form at INEC and lied, he had never been indicted by any panel, no judgment had been delivered to reverse his impeachment until the Supreme Court verdict of today. This implies that it is profitable to lie and cheat as the end will always justify the means.

“We accept the judgment of the Supreme Court as a law-abiding party even though the moral questions it raised have refused to go.

“We call on our party members to be law-abiding and not to despair. The present wind of change which is blowing across the country will soon be felt in Ekiti as there will be an end to impunity, brigandage and gangsterism.”

PDP hails ruling

THE national leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has hailed the ruling of the Supreme Court of Nigeria upholding the election of Ekiti State governor, Ayo Fayose, saying that it was a triumph of democracy and the rule of law.

In a statement issued by the National Publicity Secretary of the party, Chief Olisa Metuh, in Abuja, on Tuesday, the party observed that the ruling was a testimony that the judiciary was still the last hope of the common man having sustained the wishes and aspirations of the people of Ekiti State as expressed in the June 21, 2014 governorship election.

The PDP added that the ruling has “given hope to the survival of democracy especially coming at a time when some officials of key institutions of democracy such as INEC and some security personnel, have already started compromising their independence apparently under the dictates of an obsessive APC.”

The party congratulated Governor Fayose and the people of Ekiti for their doggedness in the face of daunting challenges from anti-democratic forces and urged the governor to be magnanimous in victory while using his mandate to deliver good governance in line with the PDP manifesto and vision of the founding fathers.

The PDP restated its resolve to continue to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the governor and the people of the state and vowed to resist any form of political intimidation or blackmail aimed at destabilising the state.

It added: “In this regard, we warn all anti-democratic forces hiding in the state, especially the outgoing APC lawmakers against any action intended directly or indirectly to destabilise the state or undermine this democratically elected PDP government under Governor Ayo Fayose.”

Omirin charges APC members to respect Supreme Court verdict

‘Impeached’ Speaker of Ekiti State House of Assembly, Dr Adewale Omirin, in his reaction to Governor Fayose’s Supreme Court victory, appealed to “APC members and Ekiti people in general to accept the judgment of the Supreme Court on the Ekiti State governorship.”

In a statement by his special adviser on media, Wole Olujobi, Omirin said “the Supreme Court, as the last authority on the matter, has spoken” and urged the people to respect the verdict.

According to him, “the judges are afterall human beings, who might have erred in the consideration of the petition,” saying “opportunities still existed that issues of similar nature might arise again in future to right the wrongs that might have been noticed in the judgment.”

Tribune