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Tag: Ekiti APC

  • Primary: Will Ekiti APC get it right?

    The repeat governorship primary of the Ekiti State All Progressives Congress (APC) will hold tomorrow in Ado-Ekiti, the state capital. Will history repeat itself? Will the gladiators put their house in order? Group Political Editor EMMANUEL OLADESU captures the anxiety of party members.

    Will the so-called progressives get it right the second time? Will the gladiators learn from the lessons of last Saturday? Will a clear winner emerge from the primary of the Ekiti State All Progressives Congress (APC) slated for tomorrow in Ado-Ekiti, the state capital? Eyes are on the troubled chapter.

    For the Ekiti APC, this is a trying moment. For four years, it has been out of power. The party claimed that it was rigged out in the 2014 poll, which former Governor Kayode Fayemi, lost to the out-going Governor Ayo Fayose. Now, less than three months to another election, the house is divided.

    Ekiti APC suffers from a self-inflicted wound. Many believe that the party has a bright chance at the July 14 poll. But, its botched primary was a major set back. It was the climax of intrigues and campaigns of hate that characterised the pre-primary consultations and mobilisation of delegates.

    No fewer than 32 gladiators are competing for the ticket of the major opposition party. They are not stangers to one another. Observers had warned that the primary may end in a frasco due to the large number of contenders. The aspirants are endowed with hearts of steel and stone. They have a republican disposition. Unfortunately, there is no leader in Ekiti who can whip them to line.

    They are combative, over-confident and full of bravado. In the course of mobilisation, aspirants elevated their personal interests over and above the larger, collective interests of the party. As they waxed stronger individually, they also suffocated and weakened the platform the candidate will ride to power.

    There was a clash of ego last Saturday. Aspirants and delegates stormed the Kayode Oluyemi Stadium as if they were going to war. Cracks deepened on the wall. Observers contended that, judging by the aggression of the contenders, the party had become more divided. Even, the flag bearer that will emerge tomorrow will have to concentrate more on post-primary reconciliation, instead of kicking off his campaigns immediately.

    If the 32 contenders dissipated the energy and resources they have invested in the primary to APC campaigns, the party will shake the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Ironically, Ekiti APC is now being advised to emulate the PDP because the ruling party organised an orderly and transparent shadow poll.

    Time is running out. The name of the candidate must be submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on or before next Tuesday. Thus, APC is warming up for a make or mar exercise.

    The onus is on the party elders and leaders to drum it into the ears of the 32 contenders that time is of essense.

    The pitfall of last week should not be repeated. The Al-Makura Panel should remain neutral and impartial. The aspirants should warn their delegates and supporters against unruly behaviour capable of tarnishing the image of the party.

    If the primary is inconclusive again, the only option is for Southwest APC leaders to form an electoral college empowered to select a candidate out of the lot in their wisdom. This will breed more strife and rancour.

    If 22 aspirants decide to withdraw from the race today, it will not be perceived as an act of cowardice, but a patriotic sacrifice for the survival of the party. It will be a relief. Even, with 10, it is still a crowded race.

    Only two contestants participated in the PDP primary, which was perceived to be free and fair. Yet, the loser has not congratulated the winner. What will happen tomorrow after the close of poll? Will the 32 congratulate the winner? Will they reject the potential overtures to defect to other parties? Will they team up with the winner?

    Politics is about personal interest. But, there should be a limitation. If the pursuit of personal interest will put the party’s collective interest in jeopardy, the ambitions politician should learn to pull the break. What is the significance of getting the ticket to contest on the platform of a weakened, polarised and decimated party?

    This is a challenging moment for Ekiti APC. The competitors should not cripple the future of the party as they pursue the interest of today.

     

  • Ekiti APC: Elders okay delegates congress

    Elders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the Southwest have dropped the direct primary plan to pick the party’s candidate for the July 24 Ekiti State governorship election.

    Majority of the aspirants at a stakeholders meeting on Tuesday voted for direct primary, a process through which all card- carrying members of the party in the 177 wards will have the opportunity of voting in the primary.

    The aspirants canvassed that “direct primary election is more transparent, less monetised and energises the democratic system through the participation and involvement of the generality of the party members”.

    Tuesday’s meeting was a fallout of Saturday’s disrupted primary election.

    However, party elders shelved the direct primary idea, “given the extent of planning and logistics involved and the closeness of the deadline for the conduct of primaries by all political parties as well as submission of names of candidates to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).”

    The elders — Chief Bisi Akande, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Aremo Olusegun Osoba, Otunba Niyi Adebayo and Chief Pius Akinyelure — in a statement, said they had agreed to the primary election to be held tomorrow as announced by the National Working Committee (NWC) after a meeting with party Chairman John Odigie-Oyegun in company with two of the aspirants  – Chief Segun Oni and Hon. Opeyemi Bamidele.

    The elders’ statement said: “The leaders, having been assured by both the National Chairman of the party as well as His Excellency, Governor Tanko Al-Makura that the rejuvenated Primary Election Committee would put new and extra measures in place to ensure a restoration of the integrity of the electoral process aimed at producing a credible candidate with the highest number of votes.

    “In view of this, the entire leadership of the party from the South West geo-political region hereby calls on all the delegates in Ekiti State to ensure full and active participation at the primary election on Friday.

    “We also encourage delegates to vote according to their conscience and ensure that the process is not monetised in the overall interest of our party, the growth of our democracy and consistent with our progressive tradition which our people are noted for.

    “The Aspirants themselves are enjoined to shun all manner of sharp practices and avoid any resort to violence during the rescheduled primaries.”

    Aspirants for the All Progressives Congress (APC) primary slated for tomorrow are canvassing for a shift of the shadow poll till Sunday.

    They made the request at a meeting with members of the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party yesterday in Abuja.

    Ajayi Olowo, one of the aspirants, who spoke to reporters after the meeting, said the date shift request was made because they needed time to get back to the their constituencies.

    Olowo also said the leadership of the party assured them that a few members of the panel would be changed to reinforce its integrity.

    He also dismissed the possibility of having a consensus candidate, saying: “We are all going for election.”

    Many of the aspirants were at the meeting. Minister of Mines and Steel Dr. Kayode Fayemi was absent.

    Some of those who attended the meeting, which was presided over by National Chairman, Chief John Odigie- Oyegun, include National Vice Chairman, South West Pius Akinyelure, National Vice Chairman, South East, Emma Enukwu and other members of the NWC.

    Some of the aspirants present include Babafemi Ojudu, Segun Oni, Opeyemi Bamidele, Senator Gbenga Aluko, Hon. Femi Bamisile, Dr.Wole Oluyede, Hon. Bamidele Faparusi, Hon. Bimbo Daramola, Hon. Opeyemi Bamidele, Senator Ayo Arise, Dr. Wole Oluleye and Dr. Adebayo Orire.

    Others are Mr. Kola Alabi, Mr. Kayode Ojo, Mr. Muyiwa Olumilua, Mr. Victor Kolade, Mr. Debo Ajayi, Chief Dele Okeya, Chief Diran Adesua, Chief Sesan Fatoba, Mrs Mojisola Yaya-Kolade, Mr. Olumuyiwa Coker and Deacon Adekunle Esan.

    But National Publicity Secretary Bolaji Abdullahi said the aspirants’ date change request might not be granted since INEC’s deadline for submission of the candidate’s name is May 15.

    The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) picked Deputy Governor Kolapo Olusola as candidate in a rancour-free primary held on Tuesday.

  • Ekiti APC: Party elders propose direct primary

    Tinubu, Akande, others intervene NWC orders new poll Friday

    Leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the Southwest yesterday intervened in the controversial shadow election to pick the party’s candidate for the July 14 Ekiti State governorship election.

    Last Saturday’s election was disrupted. After reviewing the report of the Electoral Committee led by Nasarawa State Governor Tanko Al-Makura, the party leadership yesterday cancelled the Saturday exercise and fixed Friday for a fresh primary.

    However, a meeting of Southwest leaders of the party with the aspirants in Abuja is likely to propose direct primary to pick the candidate. The meeting, it was learnt, was at the instance of President Muhammadu Buhari, who was said to have been embarrassed by the the disruption of the shadow poll.

    Yesterday’s meeting was attended by party stalwart Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, former Interim National Chairman Chief Bisi Akande, former Ogun State Governor Olusegun Osoba,  former Ekiti State Governor Adeniyi Adebayo and Vice Chairman (SouthWest) Pius Akinyelure. Of the 33 aspirants are in the race, 26 attended the meeting.

    At the meeting were Minister of Mines and Steel Development Kayode Fayemi, former Governor Segun Oni, former House of Representatives member Opeyemi Bamidele, presidential adviser Babafemi Ojudu, Senator Ayo Arise and former House of Representatives member Bamidele Faparusi.

    After the break, chairman of the primary panel Governor Tanko Al-Makura came in and was part of the second round of the meeting.

    The meeting proposed direct primary to be held across the 177 wards for the selection of the stardard bearer.

    It was learnt that after debating the proposal, the aspirants at the meeting went into division and majority –  17 aspirants voted for direct primary, which will allow all card- carrying members of the party to participate in picking the candidate at their wards.

    Six of the aspirants voted for the delegate system, which was used in the disrupted primary. Three voted for a consensus candidate arrangement.

    It was learnt that the leaders will take the proposal for direct primary to the national leadership of the party for consideration today.

    The leaders cautioned the aspirants against inflammatory remarks that could bring the party into disrepute.

    Those who agreed to step down are to  get a refund of the fees they paid for the nomination form, it was also learnt. This is a way to prune the number of aspirants down from 33.

    Chief Akande, who did not reveal the decisions, told reporters after the meeting that a decision had been taken on the way forward  and it would be communicated to the party’s leadership today.

    He said the meeting took a decision it felt would be in the general interest of the party and the nation.

    He said: “We will convey our resolution to the party and the party will be able to tell you.

    “We took a decision on what will be the best advantage to our party and the country. Consensus is written in our constitution and it is an option. Also primary election is in our constitution. But what we want is the general happiness of the leaders of the party, the contestants and our party.”

    On whether the aspirants agreed to step down for one of them, he said “that option is given to them, but it requires them going back, thinking about it and informing us”.

    On the fresh primary, Akande  said: “We are going to talk to the party about what the aspirants have said and what we all thought was best and we know that the party will take the right decision.

    “The party chose the old date, chose the modalities and the method of doing it and when it was aborted, the party cancelled it. Who am I to say I disagree? I was not part of that process. I am now going to be part of the new process so that we don’t have the kind of problems we had.”

    Fayemi left the venue at about 6.32pm when the meeting went on break. He declined to speak with reporters.

    Former Deputy National Chairman Oni dismissed claims that one of the aspirants walked out, saying: “Nobody walked out of the meeting. We are on break and will reconvene.”

    He also dismissed the option of going for a consensus. “We are not considering that. We are going for election,” Oni said. The same position was echoed by Senator Ayo Arise.

    Governor Al-Makura arrived at the venue at about 7.05pm and went into a meeting with the leaders

  • Ekiti APC and its inconclusive primary

    The governorship primary of the Ekiti State All Progressives Congress (APC) ended in a fiasco on Saturday. The exercise, which was held at Oluyemi Stadium, Ado-Ekiti, the state capital, was marred by violence. Correspondent ODUNAYO OGUNMOLA reports that the failed primary smacked of the failure of internal democracy in the chapter.

    Expectations were high that the All Progressives Congress (APC) would organise a credible, transparent and violence-free primary in Ekiti State. at the weekend.

    The APC prides itself as a progressive party, but the primary left a sour taste in the mouth.

    Rather than laying example to other parties and demonstrating its readiness to take over power from the ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP), the shadow election ended in a fiasco.

    The foundation for the crisis was laid by the failure of the leaders to manage the tension generated by the large number of aspirants seeking the ticket. Thirty three aspirants participated in the exercise. No aspirant was willing to step down, having paid about N8 million each as nomination fees. To observers, the crowdy race was a recipe for disaster.

    At the Oluyemi Kayode Stadium sanity took its flight from party members who were supposed to be brothers and sisters. They hurled insults, invectives and gutter language at one another.

    Adults who should be examples to the younger generation unleashed mayhem on one another over an intra-party exercise.

    One of those who smashed ballot boxes was a member of the State Executive Committee. A leader in one of the wards in the state capital kicked the ballot box.

    Rather than celebrating democracy, the Ekiti APC “warriors” celebrated folly, violence, disrespect for one another and portraying Ekiti, the acclaimed Fountain of Knowledge in odium before a bewildered nation and the international community.

    Instead of channeling their complaints to the Ekiti APC Governorship Electoral Committee, led by Nasarawa State Governor Umaru Tanko Al-Makura, some participants resorted to the rule of the thumb.

    The biggest loser is the party, which is being perceived by Ekiti people as an alternative to the ruling PDP. APC has lowered its esteem and value before Ekiti people and it will take hard work for it to warm its way back to the hearts of the electorate.

    The thugs struck at exactly 4.53 pm and overturned tables where ballot boxes were placed before the full glare of security men, delegates and other observers.

    The crisis erupted when agents of other aspirants complained that illiterate delegates were going to the agent of the Minister of Mines and Steel Development, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, Mr. Samuel Abejide, to guide them to vote.

    They alleged that Abejide was also writing the serial numbers of their ballot papers to authenticate who they actually voted for.

    Fayemi’s agent said it was a gang-up against the Minister that led to the allegation, accusing those peddling rumours as enemies of APC.

    Abejide said: “It was a proviso that, if you are a delegate who can’t read and write, you can call any of the agents. When they saw that I was the one being called, they started feeling the heat and they were determined to disrupt it”.

    The aggrieved agents claimed that the process had been heavily compromised in favour of Fayemi. They also accused security agents of collaborating with Fayemi’s agent to manipulate the process.

    The agents’ protest had attracted their principals and other interested parties, who joined the fray and made  spirited efforts to grab the ballot boxes to stall the process.

    Voting was already in progress when the thugs who were not happy with the trend of voting surged forward and attempted to stop delegates from further casting their ballots.

    Delegates from five of the 16 local governments had voted before the process was halted by the protesters. They were Moba, Ekiti East, Ado, Ilejemeje and Efon. The process had been peaceful before the protest broke out. One of the suspected thugs was arrested and whisked away by the police.

    The suspected thug was arrested when he was trying to grab one of the ballot boxes. He was stripped naked. The aggrieved delegates surged forward and overturned the tables where ballot boxes were placed, but security men rescued the ballot boxes.

    The protesters were chanting anti-Fayemi songs and calling the minister unprintable names. The Nasarawa governor went into a meeting with the aspirants that lasted for one and half hours and announced that the primary had been suspended indefinitely. The battle appears to be between Fayemi and 32 aspirants who had tried to stop the minister from contesting.

    Al-Makura left the Oluyemi Kayode Stadium 6.53 pm after the exercise had been suspended.

    He did not talk to reporters as he made for his official vehicle, a black Toyota Land Cruiser with his official crest.

    Speaking with reporters at a hotel where he lodged in Ado-Ekiti, Al-Makura disclosed that the exercise was suspended indefinitely following disruption by some hoodlums.

    When asked how the party would meet up with the May 14 deadline for submission of names of candidates, Al-Makura noted that the leadership would take a decision before the date.

    His words: “After a successful outing with the accreditation exercise, the voting started and about 6 local government areas had voted when attitudes and conduct of some agents were unruly and erratic.

    “You know the exercise is so important to the APC ,it will be necessary we stop. So, for now we have decided to suspend the primary election until we receive further directive from the national secretariat of our party.

    “Meanwhile, I want to inform our party members and indeed, the entire world that what happened today was nothing unusual, especially when we have about 33 persons contesting for a position.

    “I must say Ekiti is for APC and we hope to succeed in the next exercise. We can always make up with the situation and we know that May 14 is the last day for submission of names of candidates. Our party will meet up with the date, I can assure you that.”

    A day to the primary, an interest group, Ekiti Coalition for Dynamic Change, (ECDC), had alleged that supporters of two aspirants, Chief Segun Oni and Senator Babafemi Ojudu, planned to unleash terror at the primary.

    Addressing a news conference on Friday, ECDC Publicity Secretary Chief Felix Ajayi said the alleged plot was to disrupt the primary, “having realised that they could not muster enough delegates to win.”

    But, the allegation was denied by the Director of Media and Publicity of the Segun Oni Campaign Organisation, Mr. Steve Alabi, who described the claim as “senseless.”

    The “show of shame” has strengthened Governor Ayo Fayose  ahead of the primary of his party scheduled for Tuesday, May 8.

    Fayose said: “It is a clear indication that “the APC will fail woefully in the July 14 governorship election because apart from its rejection by Ekiti people, the party has become a house divided against itself that can never hold.

    “The whole world can now see the so-called progressives. Ordinary primary election, they can’t hold. It is shameful!”

    “If the party could be this violent during their own primary election, won’t they do worse things during the election proper?

    “INEC should therefore be mindful of being used to manipulate the July 14 election in favour of APC because the party has today, lost the election by the open advertisement of its anti-democratic credentials.”

    “A party, who uses guns and machetes to settle minor political disagreements among its members as done in Ado Ekiti today, in the full glare of the public, will use grenades and missiles to confront inter-party issues.”

    Since the primary ended abruptly, the aspirants have been trading blames. The party is now more fractured and divided than it used to be.

    APC leaders at the national level need to act fast to prevent the party from disintegrating because “there is no rallying point in Ekiti at the moment.” The party must organise a repeat primary latest on May 14 and it now faces a race against time to save its face before the electorate.

    Will Ekiti APC get it right the second time or will it bungle it again? Failure to put its house in order and organise a rancor-free primary means that it runs the risk of not fielding any candidate at the July 14 election.

    It remains to be seen how Ekiti APC will extricate itself from the self-inflicted crisis.

  • I’m best candidate for Ekiti APC, says Arise

    A Former Chairman of Senate Committee on Privatisation Otunba Ayo Arise has described himself as the best candidate for the governorship election in Ekiti State on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

    The defector from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) said he will win the primary, adding that he is not intimidated by other aspirants, including former Governors Segun and Kayode Fayemi.

    He said the people would prefer a new person as governor, instead of former occupants of the seat.

    Arise said: “The APC needs a popular candidate,” adding that he has the requirements.

    Oni has  declared his intention to run for governor, but, Fayemi’s ambition is still in the realm of speculation.

    Arise spoke in Oye-Ekiti at a thanksgiving commemorating his release from kidnappers’ den at the  at SS, Peter and Paul Catholic Pro- Cathedral Church.

    He said: “The APC wants to win the coming election at all cost and they need a popular candidate and they knew I am the best for the job so that our strategy can work”.

    He said he will not step down for Oni and Fayemi, ahead of the primary.

    Arise said zoning is not applicable to a homogenous state like Ekiti, adding that, while Ekiti South is entitled to the slot by right like other zones, zoning cannot be the platform.

    He added: “The APC knew how important the July 14 governorship election is to members. They need to apply the right strategy and they knew  who is best fit to be able to defeat the PDP, and that is me.

    “Both Oni and Fayemi are my good friends. I contested as a senator when Oni vied for the governorship in 2007. The two of them have ruled Ekiti and now is my own turn.

    “Even, if I step down for any of them, I can only guarantee them my own vote at the primary because the delegates are adults who can  take decisions on their own”.

     

  • Aspirant calls for unity in Ekiti APC

    Ekiti State All Progressives Congress(APC) governorship aspirant Hon. Opeyemi Bamidele has called for unity in the chapter as it prepares for the primary.

    He said crises may be an obstacle to victory at the poll.

    Bamidele said the desire of the APC family is to reclaim power from the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) in Ekiti State, warning agents of division to desist from their activities.

    The aspirant lamented that some aspirants’ loyalists and members of the party have been deploying the social media and the existing APC platforms to discredit one another.

    The former federal lawmaker said  members would still have to come together after the primary to work for the victory of the party, adding that no individual can win the election independently of other chieftains.

    Bamidele, who spoke at his Iyin-Ekiti country home at the weekend,  exuded confidence that the party  will, win if members allow civility to reign in their ranks.

    He said: “In 2015, the APC as an underdog won the presidential poll. Though, President Muhammadu Buhari’s electrifying popularity and irresistible personality played a major role in the historical victory, but the unity among members all over the 36 states of the federation also helped in no small measure.

    “This is the same situation the APC is in Ekiti. We are in opposition and we need cohesiveness to be able to wrest power from the PDP.

    “Making incendiary and derisive comments about ourselves when we are supposed to see the PDP as a common political foe we must defeat will take us nowhere in this election.

    “I have heard some members making insinuations that I had conceded to deputy governorship ticket with Engr Segun Oni. Some said I had a secret pact with Dr. Kayode Fayemi. The latest news has been that I have decided to renounce my ambition to boost Senator Babafemi Ojudu’s aspiration.

    Bamidele added: “I have heard some aspirants branding others as unmarketable, I have heard some describing some notable members and even a national officer as an outsider in APC.

    “All these sinister and deleterious political moves might impede our desire to take over Ekiti, except we begin to see ourselves as one and the time to do that is now”, Bamidele advised.

    Bamidele urged the deputy chairman of the party, Chief Kemi Olaleye, to check the excesses of members who have turned themselves into online monsters, thereby destroying the unity of the party.

    He said the party can curb their activities by invoking sanctions.

    Bamidele stressed: “I support that those who maintain hard stand after being cautioned by the party’s top hierarchy should be sanctioned.

    “APC is a party guided by constitution and it shouldn’t trivialize issue that could disunite members, particularly at a time we are approaching a critical election like this.

    “Ekiti and Osun governorship elections are strategic to our party. They will determine so many things in our party and it will help in sending a  signal that APC is still very strong, acceptable and remains a movement in the country’s political hemisphere.”

  • ‘Ekiti apc ticket not for highest bidder’

    ‘Ekiti apc ticket not for highest bidder’

    All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship aspirant in Ekiti State Dr. Adebayo Orire has said that money will not influence the choice of the party’s flag bearer.

    Orire said APC delegates are men and women of integrity who cannot be purchased by moneybags to sway votes in favour of any contender.

    According to him what Ekiti people are craving for is a “home grown politician, who can fraternise freely with the people in the grassroots and not those who have not contributed to the socio-economic development of the state.”

    Orire spoke at a public accountability forum tagged: ‘My Agenda,’ organised by the Ekiti State Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ).

    He said: “People have sold their future in the past and they have realised that.

    “The kind of leadership people now wanted is that of a home grown governor, who can understand the people and not a packaged leader that will end up disappointing the masses.”

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

  • Ekiti APC march for acquitted members

    Ekiti APC march for acquitted members

    •‘State has benefitted from Buhari’

    The streets of Ado-Ekiti, the Ekiti State capital, was shut down for nearly three hours yesterday as members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) staged a massive rally in support of President Muhammadu Buhari.

    They also staged a victory parade for six party members who were discharged and acquitted on Monday by the State High Court after they were incarcerated for alleged complicity in the killing of popular transporter, Omolafe Aderiye.

    Party members clutching brooms and placards had massed at Okeyinmi Roundabout from 8 a.m.

    The rally was held under police protection till the time it terminated at the party’s secretariat at 11.30 a.m.

    Vehicles were diverted to other routes while the rally lasted.

    There was a traffic snarl from Ijigbo to Okesa as party members took over the streets, singing to denounce Governor Ayo Fayose and his government.

    The appearance of the six acquitted party members – Prince Adeniyi Adedipe, Mr. Adebayo Aderiye, Mr. Sola Durodola, Mr. Kayode Ajayi, Mr. Oso Farotimi and Chief Joseph Olanbiwonnu -added sparkle to the rally.

    The party faithful moved round in the open roof of a vehicle, from where they waved to the people catching a glimpse of them.

    The APC members said Fayose had lost the confidence of the people of Ekiti State.

    They accused the governor of misrule, running the economy aground, impoverishing workers and unleashing hunger on the populace.

    Other groups who joined the rally included John Kayode Fayemi (JKF) Movement, Just Keep Following Group (JKFG), Apapo Egbe Omo Oodua and Progressives Transporters Movement.

    Some of their placards read: “Go, Fayose, Go”; “Fayose is an Embarrassment to Ekiti People at Home and Abroad”; “Enough of Suffering for Pensioners, God Will Intervene Very Soon”; “Fayemi is a Pride to Ekiti, We Stand By Him”; “We Welcome Our Heroes who were incarcerated for over three years”; “Fayose, go and answer criminals charges against you”; “Leave Fayemi Alone, He Served Ekiti Well.”

    The State APC Deputy Chairman, Mrs. Kemisola Olaleye and Publicity Secretary, Chief Taiwo Olatunbosun, addressed the crowd at Okeyinmi, Ijigbo and Ajilosun junctions in Ado-Ekiti.

    Mrs. Olaleye said party members and other people in Ekiti supported President Buhari for giving the state what is due to it as well as various projects being executed on Ekiti soil.

    She condemned the recent White Paper released by the state government, which banned the Minister of Mines and Steel Development, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, from holding public office for 10 years.

    The party chieftain also berated Fayose for keeping seven APC members in custody for over three years in connection with alleged murder they knew nothing about.

    She said Monday’s court judgment, which set the accused persons free had signalled an end of alleged impunity of the Fayose regime.

    Mrs. Olaleye gave Fayose a 14-day ultimatum to release a party member, Mr. Sola Adenijo, who was rearrested and kept in custody for another alleged offence.

    The deputy chairperson vowed that Fayose and his party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), would be roundly defeated in the July 14 governorship poll, adding that the governor would be made to face justice for the crimes he allegedly committed in office.

    She said: “I want to say that we are solidly behind our former governor and minister, Dr. Kayode Fayemi. We reject the so-called White Paper. Fayose can even go ahead to issue a ‘Black Paper’. We are taking over Oke Ayoba Government House this year by the grace of God and we are taking over Ekiti State.

    “Fayose will soon be made to account for all his unconstitutional acts, impunity, illegalities and lack of accountability. Civil servants are suffering, pensioners are suffering. He received bailout funds to pay them but he refused to pay.

    “We are calling on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Crimes and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences (ICPC) to investigate how our funds are being stolen in Ekiti. They should investigate Fayose and recover our funds.

    “In July, we know President Buhari will conduct a free and fair election, but we are going to revenge. Fayose will smell pepper at the election.

    “Since the court has freed our members, the international community, human rights bodies and the Federal Government should investigate who killed Omolafe Aderiye.

    “Fayose is threatening to re-arrest our members who have been set free by a competent court. We dare him to try it. We are going back to court to challenge the illegal arrest of Sola Adenijo.”

    Mrs. Olaleye also slammed the governor for arresting and detaining Olukere of Ikere-Ekiti, Oba Ganiyu Obasoyin, and alleged non-payment of allowances to traditional rulers.

    APC’s spokesman Olatunbosun said contrary to Fayose’s claims, Ekiti had benefited immensely from the Buhari administration.

    He listed the benefits as employment of the residents through the N-Power programme, social security scheme for the poor and the School Feeding Programme.

    Olatunbosun noted that the federal secretariat, Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) state office and Low Cost Housing Estate, are all under construction in the state.

    He said President Buhari had fulfilled his electoral promises to Ekiti residents, adding that Fayose’s endless criticisms of the President were misguided.

     

     

  • Only court can bar Fayemi from politics, Ekiti APC tells Fayose

    Only court can bar Fayemi from politics, Ekiti APC tells Fayose

    The Ekiti State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has said the state government’s White Paper, which indicted former Governor Kayode Fayemi is “a demonstration of executive recklessness by Governor Ayo Fayose”.

    The Fayose administration, on Monday, released the report of a commission of enquiry it set up to probe the Fayemi administration and barred the former governor as well as some of his aides from participating in politics for 10 years.

    APC said neither Fayose nor his government has any power to bar Fayemi or any other individual from holding public office.

    Fayose set up the panel to probe how Fayemi allegedly embezzled N852 million State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) loan said to have been obtained from Access Bank Plc.

    Fayemi filed a suit against the composition of the panel, citing partisanship of its members for allegedly being PDP members and civil servants who served under Fayose’s authority.

    The former governor said he would not get justice from the panel, adding that it was set up to do Fayose’s bidding.

    Access Bank appeared before the panel, saying Fayemi never stole any money.

    The bank said it returned the loan to its vault when the state government failed to firm up the agreement on repayment.

    Yet, the panel turned in its verdict, holding Fayemi culpable.

    Fayose raised another panel to issue a White Paper, which banned Fayemi and his Commissioner of Finance, Dapo Kolawole, from holding public offices for 10 years.

    In a reaction by its State Publicity Secretary, Taiwo Olatunbosun, the party described the panel and the White Paper as a kangaroo stunt to nail Fayemi.

    APC said the verdict would not stand because of what it called the illegality that went into the exercise.

    The party argued that the Supreme Court had settled it in law that only courts of law can stop any aspirant/candidate from running for any political office and not any administrative or judicial panel of enquiry.

    It said: “All Nigerians know that Fayose is recklessly lawless and cannot survive in societies where the law works. His so-called White Paper is not only laughable but also a disgrace to all Ekiti people – home and abroad – with the way Fayose has taken ignorance, vendetta and debauchery to a ridiculous level. We knew all along that this is what Fayose wanted to do.

    “We had expected his Attorney General, if he knows his onions, to have advised him that only a competent court of law can bar Nigerians from holding public office under the Nigerian Constitution.

    “A situation where Fayose assembled PDP members and pliable civil servants as a panel with a strict directive to indict Fayemi at all costs and thereafter issued a White Paper banning him from holding public office, cannot hold water in a society where the law works.

    “With the way he is conducting himself desperately to stop Fayemi from holding public office, we are convinced that Fayose is seriously going through a political haemorrhage and, therefore, his resorting to political desperation and unconstitutional means to nail our leader and a serving minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria by any means possible.

    “Neither Fayose nor the Ekiti State government has the power to bar or prevent Dr Fayemi or any other citizen from holding public office but a competent court of law. Such wishful thinking cannot stand judicial scrutiny. We advise Fayose and his pitiable undertakers to read the Supreme Court judgment and Atiku Abubakar in a similar matter.”

    APC noted that by his “so-called White Paper that cannot over-rule the Supreme Court judgment as a precedent, Fayose has demonstrated recklessness, lawlessness and display of executive rascality arising from his ignorance of the law, constitution and total disregard for the rule of law”.

    It added: “It is now glaring that despite Fayose’s empty boasts daily that Dr. Fayemi is a paperweight politician who is not popular at home, the governor’s latest action has proved that the reverse is the case. This barbaric action to halt the political career of a shining Ekiti star has shown that Fayemi is in league of nightmare Fayose has to contend with.

    “It is an irony that Fayose, who is supposed to be banned from holding public office because of the plethora of criminal and financial misappropriation cases hanging on his neck, is the one unilaterally banning somebody, who held public office as governor without any blemish and is currently holding that of a Minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and has performed excellently well, as shown by the ‘Award of Public Excellence’ trophy bestowed on him by credible corporate organisations.

    “We expect someone occupying such an exalted position of a governor, like Fayose, to be properly briefed and educated on the limitations of his powers as the head of the executive arm of government, primarily to formulate policy and implement laws, rather than interpret the law and, worst still, assume the position of a judge in a matter involving him as a party.

    “We are not going to lose any sleep over a biased political report by a panel of PDP members set up by a PDP governor for the purpose of framing up our leader as a way of settling political scores.

    “This is executive recklessness and political rascality taken too far by Fayose and his kangaroo panel. We wonder where he got the power to bar a leading member of the opposition in a democracy.

    “We wish to assure our party members and the good people of Ekiti State that the so-called White Paper recommendation by Fayose’s kangaroo panel is not worth more than the paper on which it is written; this shall be challenged in a court of law. We are confident that this shall be quashed because there is no legal precedent or basis for it in the history of our country.

    “We also plead with Nigerians to bear with Ekiti people in this moment of our governor’s lawlessness, which has negative implication for the integrity of Ekiti people in choosing their leader.

    “We also wish to remind Fayose that his immunity will expire in October and must be prepared to resume trials on his many criminal cases, including those pending in various courts.”

    Also, Lagos lawyer Femi Falana (SAN) has said Fayose’s ban of his predecessor from holding public office cannot stand any legal test.

    In a statement yesterday in Lagos, he said: “In the case of Atiku Abubakar v Attorney-General of the Federation, the Supreme Court held that only a court of law has the power to disqualify and ban a Nigerian citizen from holding public office in Nigeria. So, the apex court set aside his disqualification from holding public office via a White Paper, which was endorsed by the Federal Executive Council (FEC).

    “A similar ban placed on Malam Nasiru El-Rufai by the House of Representatives was also quashed by the court. To that extent, the decision of the Ekiti State government to ban Dr. Kayode Fayemi from politics cannot stand the test of constitutional validity. If Dr. Fayemi challenges the ban in court, he is likely to have it quashed and set aside.

    “However, as a serving minister in an administration that is fighting corruption, Dr. Fayemi has a duty to respond to his indictment by the judicial commission of enquiry, which probed the finances of Ekiti State under his watch. Alternatively, he may pray the court to annul the report. But he cannot afford to ignore the findings of the panel.

    “Since Dr. Fayemi chose not to appear before the judicial panel, he has to explain his own side of the story to Ekiti people. This is in line with the principle of public accountability enshrined in the Freedom of Information Law and Fiscal Responsibility Law enacted by the Fayemi administration.”

  • Ekiti APC hails Buhari over board appointments

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ekiti State has congratulated members of the party in the state that were appointed by President Muhammadu Buhari  as heads and members of boards of federal parastatals and commissions. A statement by the Publicity Secretary of the party in the state, Taiwo Olatunbosun, also praised the President for considering members worthy of these appointments.

    While calling on the new appointees to do Ekiti State proud in their various assignments, the party urged the President to consider Ekiti State for more appointments and also locate more employment-generating projects in the state. “We congratulate our members for the honour done them and we believe that they will demonstrate the grit needed to showcase Ekiti State as a symbol of excellence in their various assignments.

    “We also thank our leaders that made sure that Ekiti members of APC were not short-changed in the current exercise. While thanking our leaders for this feat, we hope that the beneficiaries of this great gesture will live up to the expectations and trust reposed in them for their consideration for these appointments. We urge the President to consider Ekiti State for more appointments and more employment-generating projects,” Olatunbosun said.