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.
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
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