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Tag: Ekiti

  • Ekiti: ghost that won’t just go

    Ekiti: ghost that won’t just go

    Sordid tales about how an election was rigged

    With the disclosure by the former Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ekiti State, Dr Tope Aluko, about how the June 21, 2014 governorship election was rigged in favour of the incumbent governor, Ayodele Fayose, there appears to be no doubt that the election was a mere formality; the powers-that-be had already concluded plans to install their own as governor long before the election. One other thing that is not in doubt is the heavy monetisation of the process, obviously from the public till. Aluko is not only the former state PDP scribe, he was also said to be a close ally of Governor Fayose when the going was good. So, he is in a position to know; forget the motive.

    The question now is: could it be that those who unleashed soldiers and thugs on the state then were not sure they could defeat the incumbent Governor Kayode Fayemi, hence, the recourse to strong arm tactics to the ridiculous extent that they went? This was despite the shortcomings, real or perceived, of the then governor. Or, could it be that they just wanted to bare their fangs as a sign of things to come in the (then coming) 2015 General Elections?

    When Colonel Sagir Koli first disclosed that such things happened in Ekiti State, the then President Goodluck Jonathan denied.  “There was no formal petition before them, but because of the general interest, they wanted to have him (Koli) interviewed to know where this was coming from. If someone comes up with a spurious allegation that has no substance and the person disappears, of course, what do you want me to do? Definitely, anytime we get him, he’ll have to substantiate his allegations. There is a lot of false stories being circulated and it is very sad”, the former president had said. Now, could the former president be telling lies or was it just that people merely took advantage of his weakness, ignorance and naivety (or all of the above) to commit blue murder on his behalf?

    Just like Jonathan, Governor Fayose had dismissed the weighty allegations as the ranting of a man disgruntled by his refusal to make him chief of staff and that it is all part of the grand plan of the All Progressive Congress (APC) to get through the back door the governorship that it failed to get through due process. Fayose was not forthcoming as to whether what Aluko said actually took place or not. One wonders how far this nation can go with such off-hand dismissal as a figment of some people’s imagination events that really took place. But that is one of the values that we parade in the country: people who cannot be faithful over little things we elevate to even higher responsibilities. We are already paying for such indiscretion and we will pay even higher price in future if we do not sanction those culpable in such matters.

    It is gratifying though that the military has sanctioned its own implicated in the inglorious affair. But, would the military have punished its men implicated in the rigging plot if the story was some tales by moonlight or scenes from some Hollywood films? The revelations have named, but apart from the military’s, no other culprit has been shamed. Yet, people must be shamed if we are to make progress in our electoral process. One of the main problems with us is our failure to punish big criminals. Some people will tell you that the country has more than enough laws to deal with any situation but that we hardly punish people in spite of the existence of these laws. I agree. If the Muhammadu Buhari presidency is able to successfully prosecute and get some of the big thieves who had dipped their hands into our national treasury illegally jailed, it would be the first time we would be sending the appropriate signal that this country will no longer be a haven for thieves, whoever they might be and irrespective of where they come from or their creed.

    The country has an Electoral Law that prescribes sanctions for people who pervert the democratic process as we witnessed in Ekiti. Unfortunately, we hardly prosecute them. Before the Ekiti incident, we have had many similar instances of people committing electoral heist without being sanctioned. This is even when such incidents were recorded and we could identify them either running away with snatched ballot boxes or intimidating voters or members of the opposition parties at the polling booths. We just read those things in the newspapers or watch them live on television, cry foul; and that is all. If we had been punishing people for electoral crimes, those who blatantly engaged in the Ekiti show of shame could have thought twice before allowing themselves to be used for such illegal purposes.

    We must go beyond the entertainment provided by the narrations of what happened during that election by getting all those involved arrested and prosecuted. In like manner, whatever inspired Dr Aluko to say it all is immaterial. Whether it was guilty conscience, or because of Fayose’s refusal to honour his alleged pact to make him (Aluko) his chief of staff should not carry any weight now. It is not even important if he did to curry the favour of the Buhari administration. The issue is that, by his (Aluko’s) action, and given the fact that he had earlier testified before the election petition tribunal that looked into the conduct of the election that it was free and fair, what he is now saying is contrary to that. To that extent therefore, his case is different from Colonel Koli’s who fled after revealing the secret plot even when President Jonathan was still in power. No one should therefore be surprised that the Fayose government has dragged him to court which has ordered his arrest and prosecution for alleged perjury.

    A lesson from all these is that people joined together by treachery will also be put asunder by treachery. If the actors had been told that what they had regarded as top secret then would end up being subject of discussion in the public space, they would have disagreed. Now, we are being treated to a movie that we did not pay for.

    With the Ekiti case, the law has once again been proven to be an ass indeed. Otherwise, with all these stunning revelations, first by Colonel Koli, and now, Dr Aluko, there appears to be sufficient grounds to revisit that election, at least from the layman’s point of view. Unfortunately, Governor Fayose’s governorship has been signed, sealed, delivered and confirmed even by the highest court in the land, the Supreme Court. In a sense therefore, nothing untoward happened, at least in the eye of the law.

    But can that be the case in the face of these damning revelations? Even if the incumbent would still have won in a truly free and fair election, could the circumstances surrounding that election have guaranteed a level-playing field for all the candidates? Food for thought!

  • Revisiting the Ekiti debacle

    •In the light of Dr. Tope Aluko’s testimony on how the 2014 Ekiti governorship election was rigged, a full probe should be instituted

    The expose by Dr. Tope Aluko on how the June 21, 2014 Ekiti governorship election was rigged should be critically reviewed by the Federal Government, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the security forces. It is a reminder that the reform of the electoral process must be revisited by the legislative and executive authorities at the federal and state levels.

    Dr. Aluko who was at the material time the state secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), said the victory of Mr. Ayodele Fayose who was the flag-bearer of the party was aided by the presidency, heavily funded from the national treasury. Dr. Aluko who had appeared before the Ekiti, Osun Elections Military Board said he was speaking out of a new-found conviction that the public deserves to know all that happened, since he was privy to it all. He was the chairman of the party’s security and intelligence committee, as well as chief agent for Governor Fayose.

    While we acknowledge that the verdict of the Supreme Court on the matter is final, the electoral commission ought to institute a thorough probe of the role played by its personnel in perverting the course of justice. All those found guilty should be prosecuted.

    The police and Department of State Security (DSS) whose personnel have also been indicted should follow the step taken by the army. The General Adeniyi Oyebade-led board has shown that the military had no interest in shielding anyone from the blind eyes of the justice system. We commend Capt. Sagir Koli whose evidence went a long way in ensuring that the guilty were exposed. But, the end should not just be punishing the guilty. All loopholes identified by the findings of the military board should aid the National Assembly in amending and strengthening provisions of the 1999 Constitution and the Electoral Act. This should be done well ahead of the 2019 elections.

    Dr. Goodluck Jonathan who has been accused of authorising the release of 37 million dollars for the Ekiti poll should speak up now. What does he know of the alleged perfidy? What role did former oil minister Diezani Alison-Madueke play and how well did the finance minister, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, play her part in all the transactions.  Nigerians want to know all of these and probably more.

    The order by a chief magistrate’s court in Ado-Ekiti for  the arrest and prosecution of Dr. Aluko for alleged perjury is not unexpected, especially as he had testified before the election petition tribunal in the state that the PDP won the election fair and square. Why is he singing a new tune now? Similarly, all those he mentioned as participating in the political corruption that the perversion of the people’s will in an election amounts to should be prosecuted, if only to deter others.

    The electoral commission’s dereliction of its political parties’ finance monitoring duty is unfortunate. Had the commission been alive to its responsibility, the monumental fraud in funding of political campaigns would have been checked. There are laws guiding how much a party may expend during campaigns, how much a candidate is allowed to expend, preparation and audit of parties’ accounts and limits to the contributions that individuals could make to a political party. All these have been willfully flouted without sanction.

    Professor Mahmud Yakubu, Chairman, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC)  should realise that there is no time to waste in preparing for the 2019 General Elections. He should meet with the critical stakeholders now and take firm decision with regards to making proposals to the National Assembly and the federal attorney general on grey areas in the electoral laws. The weak points should be addressed now, personnel trained on their effective use and the electorate adequately sensitised so that never again would we have a repeat of the Ekiti scenario.

  • Ekiti poll ‘fraud’ leak crisis deepens

    Ekiti poll ‘fraud’ leak crisis deepens

    In Ado-Ekiti Chief Magistrate’s Court has ordered the Ekiti State Commissioner of Police, Etop James, to arrest and prosecute the former Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Secretary, Dr. Tope Aluko, for alleged perjury.

    The order was consequent upon a motion ex-parte filed by state government in a case to arraign Aluko to answer the charge of perjury for allegedly lying under oath with his revelations on Channels Television on Sunday that the 2014 governorship poll was rigged.

    But Aluko yesterday raised the alarm that there was a plot to burn his property.

    Governor Ayo Fayose was declared winner of the election by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) but his victory has been hit by allegations of rigging, aided by the military.

    But police spokesman Alberto Adeyemi said the command was not aware of any court order to arrest and prosecute Aluko.

    The motion ex-parte was filed pursuant to Section 117 of the Criminal Code Cap 16 Law of Ekiti State 2012, Section 79 of the Ekiti State Administration of Criminal Justice Law 2014 and Section 23 (D) of the Magistrates’ Court Law 2014.

    In the Motion, which was filed and moved by the State Director of Public Prosecution (DPP), Gbemiga Adaramola, an order of the court was sought to issue a warrant of arrest against Aluko to be executed by the Commissioner of Police for the purpose of committing him (Aluko) for trial for the offence of perjury.

    The motion application was brought on four grounds, which conveyed the desire of the State to prosecute Aluko for the alleged perjury. The State averred that Aluko cannot be arrested without a valid bench warrant.

    Others include whether the order of the court was necessary for the issuance of the warrant of arrest and that the court has power to grant the order brought before it.

    Moving the application, Adaramola said the motion contained nine paragraphs affidavit deposed to by Lere Olayinka, Special Assistant to the Governor on Public Communications and New Media.

    Among the exhibits attached to the motion are Aluko’s written statement on oath, which he tendered before the Ekiti State Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal in 2014.

    The DPP relied on all the paragraphs of the affidavits attached Thereto, urging the court to exercise its discretion in favour of the state because Aluko had on November 12, 2014 given evidence under cross examination that the election which brought Fayose into power was free, fair and credible, devoid of the military harassment.

    Adaramola said granting the motion would enhance the integrity of the judiciary.

    Chief Magistrate Adesoji Adegboye granted the application and issued a warrant of arrest against Aluko.

    He ruled that since the court had the power to grant the order and it will serve the interest of justice, the Commissioner of Police should arrest Aluko to investigate and prosecute him.

    The matter was premised upon an application to the State Attorney General by the state PDP Legal Adviser, Sunday Olowolafe, calling for Aluko’s prosecution for alleged perjury.

    Olowolafe said: “I hereby apply to your office that Dr Temitope Kolawole Aluko be arrested and sued for perjury in view of the interview recently granted on Channels Television by 8:00pm on Sunday 31 January, 2016.

    “The said Dr Temitope Kolawole Aluko now recanted the evidence he gave in the cause of the hearing of the Ekiti State Governorship Election Petition as a star witness even up to the Supreme Court.

    “The Certified True Copy of the State on Oath, evidence of Dr Temitope Kolawole Aluko in Court on the 12/11/14 and Nigerian Tribune and The Punch newspapers of Monday 01/02/2016 that reported the interview granted are hereto attached.

    “It is to be noted that this if this act (perjury) is not looked into, it will definitely defile the cause of justice and consequently rubbish the judicial proceedings.”

    In Olayinka’s affidavit in support of the motion ex-parte, he averred that Aluko, who was a witness before the governorship tribunal, sworn to a Statement on Oath on August 4, 2014 wherein he stated that the Election was not only free and fair, but devoid of violence, thuggery, hooliganism, snatching of ballot boxes and related forms of electoral disorderliness.

    Olayinka averred that Aluko adopted his Statement on Oath on November 12, 2014 and further gave evidence under cross examination.

    He said all Aluko said on Channels Television on January 31 were contrary to his evidence before the tribunal.

  • Ekiti politicians urged to unite

    Elder statesman, Chief Deji Fasuan, has urged Ekiti State politicians to sink their differences and work for the development of the state.

    Pa Fasuan spoke at the weekend at his Afao-Ekiti home in Irepodun/Ifelodun Local Government Area when he hosted a special get-together for senior citizens, called The Buffet In The Jungle.

    Dignitaries at the event included former governor of the old Ondo State, Evangelist Bamidele Olumilua; a retired Anglican Bishop of Akure Diocese, Rev. Michael Ipinmoye; former General Secretary of Yoruba Council of Elders (YCE), Dr. Kunle Olajide; former Vice Chancellor of Ekiti State University, Prof. Israel Orubuloye and former Registrar of Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, Chief Alex Ajayi.

    The occasion featured Ekiti cultural music and dance, consumption of roasted yam, pounded yam and palm wine. It was a convivial atmosphere where the senior citizens exchanged banters.

    Pa Fasuan, a retired Permanent Secretary and former board member of the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC), said the forum was meant to give the elderly an opportunity to come together in a relaxed atmosphere and offer suggestions on the how to develop the state.

  • When ‘ll peace return to Ekiti APC?

    When ‘ll peace return to Ekiti APC?

    The national leadership of the All Progressives Congress (Apc) has taken the bull by the horns by reconciling the factions in Ekiti State in a bid to reposition the crisis-ridden chapter as a formidable platform. Odunayo Ogunmola examines the impact of the peace move.

    Ekiti State All Progressives Congress (APC) was hit by a crisis, following its outster from power by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) two years ago.

    The chieftains started to trade blames. Since 2014, a lot of water has passed under the bridge.

    APC is the ruling party at the federal level, former Governor Kayode Fayemi is a minister and the last local government election was boycotted by the party and majority of voters.

    Before the appointment of minister, various interest groups in the party were locked in intrigues, lobbying and horse trading with the party’s national secretariat and the Presidency was flooded with petitions against  “ministerial aspirants”.

    It was widely believed that any group that got the ministerial slot would gain the upper hand in the “battles” that lay ahead.

    The suspense over who becomes minister dragged on for about four months before it was resolved with the appointment of Fayemi by President Muhammadu Buhari.

    Following the angst created by the loss of the governorship poll, not less than four factions emerged in the party, although their promoters always maintain that they are not factions but “interest groups” or “caucuses” raised to revive the party.

    The groups include the APC state executive, which is believed to be loyal to Fayemi and other party members, who served in his administration referred to as the Isan Group. the Action Group is led by a Special Adviser on Political Matters in the Presidency, Senator Babafemi Ojudu; the Bibiiire Coalition is led by former House of Representatives member Hon. Opeyemi Bamidele; the Restoration Group initiated by four former House of Representatives members- Hon. Bamidele Faparusi, Hon. Ife Arowosoge, Hon. Robinson Ajiboye and Hon. Bimbo Daramola-and the Justice Group led by Chief Sesan Fatoba, former commissioner during the Adebayo administration.

    Although the APC is not in power, the various groups are positioning themselves to get appointments and patronage in the emerging APC Federal Government and ahead of the next governorship primary and election anytime the opportunity beckons.

    With the key appointments in the Presidency and the FEC already settled, eyes are now on the commissions, boards and agencies of the Federal Government.

    Realising that the party needed unity to realise its dream of bouncing back to power, the national leadership held a meeting with the caucuses last December, with a view to bringing them together to chart a new course.

    Shortly before the meeting, they had earlier met the APC National Leader, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu; National Chairman Chief John Odigie-Oyegun; National Secretary Mai Mala Buni; National Vice Chairman (Southwest), Chief Pius Akinyelure and the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir David Lawal.

    Those at the meeting included former governor of old Ondo State, Evangelist Bamidele Olumilua, former Senator, Chief James Kolawole, former Commissioner for Women Affairs, Mrs. Ronke Okusanya and Prof. Joseph Oluwasanmi.

    The meeting, according to a source, was centred on the issue of appointments which was settled with the submission of names, from the caucuses into the federal commissions, boards and agencies.

    Another issue at the root of the crisis of confidence in the party was the matter of the dissolution of the state party executive led by Chief Olajide Awe, which some groups in the party believe is loyal to Fayemi.

    The aggrieved groups are calling for an Executive Council (EXCO) which, according to them, will represent all shades of opinions in the party. They insist that the Awe-led EXCO, which they accused of leading the party to defeat in several elections, must go to allow a new set that will represent all shades of opinions.

    The clamour for the dissolution of the state EXCO led the stakeholders to Ila Orangun, Osun State to hold a meeting with the former APC National Interim Chairman, Chief Bisi Akande.

    Akande is believed to be in charge of the organisation of state congresses, hence the recourse to him to find a way of dissolving the Ekiti EXCO to pave way for a fresh congress where a new set of party executives will emerge.

    A very reliable source said the last meeting held in Abuja on December 16, 2015, was at the instance of the former governor and Deputy National Chairman (South) of the party, Chief Segun Oni.

    The meeting was said to have commenced at 12 noon and lasted till 6.00 pm.

    The December 16 meeting was attended by former Governor, Chief Niyi Adebayo, former Deputy Governor, Prof. Modupe Adelabu, state Chairman, Awe; his deputy, Mrs. Kemi Olaleye; members of the Seventh Senate, except Sen. Olubunmi Adetunmbi; members of the Seventh House of Representatives, excluding Bamidele.

    Also in attendance were former Chief of Staff to Fayemi Hon. Yemi Adaramodu; former Special Adviser on Parliamentary Affairs Hon.  Dapo Karonwi; former Assembly Majority Leader Hon. Churchill Adedipe; former Assembly member, Hon. Bunmi Oriniowo; state Publicity Secretary, Hon. Taiwo Olatunbosun.

    The list also includes: Former Secretary to the government Dr. Gani Owolabi; former Special Adviser (Governor’s Office), Chief Biodun Akin-Fasae; Elders Forum Publicity Secretary, Dr. Adebayo Orire; former Commissioner and Afenifere leader Hon. Funminiyi Afuye; former governorship aspirant Chief Babatunde Odetola; and Mr. Kayode Afolabi.

    The source revealed that Oni, who set the ball of discussion rolling, appealed to the interest groups to sink their differences and come together as a formidable and united front.

    The source said: “Oni opened the discussion that we should become one and united, so that we will be focused to fight a common enemy. He said the party needs a unity of purpose because Ekiti people are not happy with the Ayodele Fayose-led PDP government at the moment.

    “Oni said Ekiti needs the APC now to salvage them from bad governance and rudderless leadership going on in the state, hence the need for all interest groups in Ekiti APC to close ranks and work towards returning the party to the Government House to give quality leadership to the people.

    “Former Governor Adebayo in his own contribution said he is not against any caucus in the party, as there are no political parties without caucuses but infighting should not be allowed to kill the party and affect its electoral fortunes.

    “Former Deputy Governor, Prof. Adelabu appealed to members to bury the hatchet, saying the APC is the natural habitat of all members irrespective of groups to which they belong.

    “Chairman Awe who spoke thereafter toed the line of Oni; he expressed his delight that we came to the meeting because that was the fourth attempt to invite us.

    “But, we members of the Action Group insisted that we are not against anybody, but that the party must be reconstituted and must be open to allow others interested in joining to do so without let or hindrance.

    “We told the national body that we don’t like the way the three former governors have been treating Olumilua; that he should be carried along in the scheme of things.

    “We have been holding meetings in Olumilua’s house on the need to restore unity to the party, be it Action Group, Restoration Group, Bibiire Coalition and Justice Group. It is only the Isan Group that has not been holding meetings with us.”

    “From the body language of the (state) party leaders, the party is now open to all members. In fairness to her, the Deputy Chairman, Mrs. Olaleye, who is the most senior EXCO member on ground, adopted friendlier approach to members of other caucuses.

    “The executives no longer antagonise members of other caucuses and this is a good development and a direct result of the Abuja parley and we believe they would build more on it.”

    Another major breakthrough resulting from the Abuja peace parley was the visit to Olumilua at his Ikere Ekiti country home, by Adebayo, Oni and Fayemi.

    The visit, which delighted many party members, was seen as the implementation of the Abuja parley.

    Fayemi  said he is interested in pursuing unity and ensuring that the party waxes stronger, adding that there are no factions but interest groups working assiduously to restore the party back to power.

    According to him, a party is formed by members who come from various backgrounds with the intent of capturing power for the benefit of the people and in party politics, disagreement is normal.

    He said the Ekiti APC is on the right track as its teeming members are still intact and are working hard to keep the party stronger, virile and more united.

    Fayemi explained that the unity within the party was brought to the fore by the agreement of leaders and members not to participate in the last council election and to challenge the composition of the state electoral agency in the court of law.

    The former governor described the election of the new local government administrators as “an illegality which will not be allowed to stand.“

    Consequent upon the Abuja parley, the Action Group caucus held a meeting where 12 resolutions were made. The resolutions which  were conveyed in a communique made available to our reporter reads:

    “We agreed that we are all members of the party (APC), with a resolve to make the party stronger, vibrant  and viable; we agreed that the party is our veritable jar from which all of us have drank and will continue drink; we agreed that the party is sick today and requires the right treatment, which may include surgical operation; we all agreed that no sacrifice is too small from any quarter within the party to ensure that the party regains the lost glory; and it was a shock that some elements in the party have taken unilateral actions to suspend some  members within our party.

    “We all agreed that such negative steps already taken by some leaders in some local governments and wards should be reversed, particularly those wards and unit excos allegedly suspended from the party in Efon should refrain from doing so.”

    It was also agreed that the state EXCO should set up a fact-finding committee to visit Efon and meet with Chief Mrs. Ronke Okusanya, Hon. Dapo Karounwi and other leaders, as well as the local government EXCO, with a view to resolving the crisis. This should be replicated in other local governments as a way to foster unity within the party.

    Other resolutions, according to the comminuque, are: “We agreed that members of the Action Group and other groups are bonafide members of APC in Ekiti and nobody should pronounce otherwise or threaten to suspend them from the party.

    “We all agreed that there is the need to forge a new understanding within the party in Ekiti State.”

    The question was asked as to how Olumilua, who hitherto was excluded from the ex-governors caucus, was classified. It was agreed that he should be one of them and we mandated Oni and Otunba Adebayo and the State Chairman to meet with Olumilua with a view to giving him the deserved recognition.

    The communique also reads: “We agree that after the Evang. Olumilua meeting, another should be convened with all the other groups within the party including the Bibiire/Labour Party group in attendance, to further unify the party.

    “We agreed that there should be cessation of hostilities, especially in the newspapers and on the social media.

    “We agreed that the fine point of restructuring and reforming the party for better effect has not been addressed at the last meeting, as it was simply exploratory and that there is the need for further meetings in various strata of the party.”

    The interest groups also celebrated the appointment of Ojudu as senior political aide in the Presidency which they described as well deserved and an indication that the state chapter is blessed with personalities who can prove their mettle in the country.

    The state chapter praised President Muhammadu Buhari for the appointment of Ojudu as Special Adviser on Political Matters. Publicity Secretary, Taiwo Olatunbosun, said in a statement that the appointment reinforced the importance of Ekiti State in the nurturing of the party for the challenges ahead.

  • Ekiti circus

    Looking back now, James Hadley Chase, the late English writer of American crime thrillers, couldn’t have been more laconic, titling one of his best sellers, The Guilty Are Afraid. That simple, almost casual truism is turning Ayo Fayose’s Ekiti into a circus, with hilarious echoes of “double vote of confidence.”

    And hurray!  For those who burn precious forex going abroad in search of titillating circuses, good news!  Fayose’s Ado Ekiti boasts the best parliamentary circus in town.  There, you would meet a full complement of clowns, pooh-poohing a report they don’t even have; and comically pronouncing a “double vote of confidence” — whatever that means — on a party the report purportedly indicted!  Indeed, the guilty are afraid!

    At plenary on January 19, the Ekiti legislature got rather over-excited over the Gen. Adeniyi Oyebode-chaired military board of enquiry that probed the secret audio recording, which captured the alleged voices of Ayo Fayose, Musiliu Obanikoro, Iyiola Omisore, Jelili Adesiyan and another person.  The party was hectoring and bullying Brig-Gen. Aliyu Momoh, on why he had not implemented their rigging masterplan, which Obanikoro, then minister of Defence (Army), boasted was a mission from the president.  The board commended servicemen that foiled, while also indicting those involved in the rigging plot; and proscribed due reward and punishment.

    Does the Ekiti legislature have a copy of the report?  That is doubtful.  In any case, none of the over-excited legislators at plenary brandished any copy.  But like Samson shorn of his hair of grace and power; and fuming to his doom, the Ekiti legislators were lashing out with wild allegations.

    They had gathered intelligence, they claimed, that the Federal Government was on the brink of using the findings of the report to remove Governor Fayose, their comical “opposition leader”; and if that failed, “assassinate” him outright. The Ekiti Assembly, with all 26 members Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) partisans, accused President Muhammadu Buhari of alleged dictatorship, bent on muscling the opposition.

    But wait a minute!  Has Fayose been found guilty?  Could he even be tried right now, even if the report indicted him?  Doesn’t he have constitutional immunity as sitting governor under extant Nigerian laws?  So, if he cannot be tried, how can somebody forcefully remove him from an office he has constitutional security?

    Or, has it been found that it was really Fayose’s voice badgering the poor army one-star general, simply because some illicit coins had changed hands? And if indeed Fayose was caught, metaphorically with fingers locked in the cookie jar, and he did cause the election to be rigged in his favour, is the clownish assembly scared that it would lack the guts to remove the governor, when confronted with notorious facts, since all are gubernatorial puppets?

    Ah, the bit about “double vote of confidence” is so reminiscent of the famous Wole Soyinka anti-Negritude poetic movement quip: a tiger does not proclaim its tigeritude!  When a legislature starts making a thunderclap of “double vote of confidence”, does that translate to double diffidence in its own confidence?

    Really, this assembly should get real.  Lawmaking is too serious and the legislative chamber too sacred to be left to clowns.

     

  • Lassa fever hits Ekiti, Delta

    Lassa fever hits Ekiti, Delta

    •Two more victims die in Plateau •Medical worker quarantined  •250 under watch in Rivers

    THERE was panic yesterday in Ido Ekiti, headquarters of Ido/Osi Local Government Area, Ekiti State and Asaba, Delta State following the confirmation of two Lassa fever cases.

    The victim in Ekiti State, a Nursing student, is now on admission at the Federal Teaching Hospital, Ido Ekiti (FETHI) after testing positive to the virus on Saturday.

    It came barely 48 hours after the House of Assembly’s Speaker, Kola Oluwawole, described Ekiti as an example to other states in the management of Lassa fever.

    Commissioner for Health Dr. Olurotimi Ojo, who confirmed the case yesterday at a meeting on Lassa fever in Ado Ekiti, said the patient was isolated and that doctors were battling to save her life.

    Ojo said he confirmed the case from FETHI Chief Medical Director, Dr. Lawrence Ayodele, who also established that the victim is a Nursing student.

    The patient was said to have been treated for malaria and typhoid fever with high profile antibiotics, but did not respond to treatment.

    Ojo said: “Over the weekend, the state confirmed a case of Lassa fever that is being managed at the Federal Teaching Hospital, Ido Ekiti. The patient is stable and had commenced treatment.

    “Immediately the patient was diagnosed and confirmed, the management began the process of contact-tracing. Once you have an index case, there is tendency of having a primary case and a possible spread and this could be dangerous.

    “Though, the doctors are handling the situation and monitoring the situation closely. So, nobody has been quarantined after the contact-tracing.”

    He advised residents to take precautionary measures and refrain from taking risk that could lead to the contact or spread of the disease.

    The Speaker, on Sunday, at a church service, urged health workers in the state to “maintain the tempo of success you are recording in the health sector, particularly on the issue of the rampaging Lassa fever”.

    The confirmed case in Delta State is a 65-year-old woman from Ifiogwari village, Ayamelunu, Anambra State, who came for treatment in Asaba, the Delta State capital.

    She was first admitted at St. Joseph’s Hospital before being referred to the Federal Medical Centre, Asaba, when her condition worsened.

    The Delta State Rapid Response Team said it placed 22 persons, who had contact with the confirmed case on surveillance and five samples were sent for laboratory investigation.

    The state government has informed the Federal Ministry of Health, Abuja, on the developments.

    Lassa fever is caused by a virus found in the urine and faeces of a specie of rat when it contaminates food or water or come in contact with broken skin of humans.

    Infected persons spread the disease when their body fluids, such as blood, faeces, urine, sperm and vomit come in contact with others.

    Rivers State Commissioner for Health Dr. Theophilus Odagme yesterday confirmed the admission of a medical worker of Braithwaite Memorial Specialist Hospital (BMSH), at one of the three quarantine centres created by the state for prompt isolation and treatment of Lassa fever victims.

    Odagme spoke through a statement by his Press Officer, Paul Baziah-Nsaneh, in Port Harcourt, the state capital.

    He said 250 persons were placed under surveillance across the state and that the state “is doing everything possible to ensure the virus does not spread further”.

    Lassa fever outbreak was reported in the state in December.

    Also yesterday, workers of Emergency Medical Service of the BMSH locked up the gates of the government-owned hospital, following 14 months’ unpaid salaries by the Governor Nyesom Wike-led administration.

    The workers proceeded to the Government House, where they made known their grievances.

    They said they were at the centre of the risk of contracting the disease and threatened to stop work.

    Members of the state Nigeria Medical Association (NMA) have been on a warning strike for  the abduction of two of their members by gunmen.

    Lassa Fever has claimed two more lives in Plateau, the government confirmed yesterday in Jos.

    Commissioner for Health Mr Kuden Dayin told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the victims died at the Jos University Teaching Hospital (JUTH) on Saturday.

    This brings to three those killed after the commissioner confirmed the death of one person at Ting village in Fombur District of Mangu Local Government Area last week.

    According to Dayin, relations, friends and health workers, who came in contact with the victims, were placed under surveillance.

    He added that 32 persons were under surveillance in Mangu, from the 15 placed under surveillance last week.

    But the commissioner said none of those under surveillance showed any sign of symptoms of the disease.

    But the Association of Medical Laboratory Scientists of Nigeria (AMLSN) yesterday decried the inadequate diagnostic laboratory facilities despite persistent outbreaks.

    This, AMLSN stated, was not in tandem with the principle of universal health coverage, which, it said, has to be accessible, available and affordable.

    The body, therefore, called on the Federal Government to consider the idea of specialised public health laboratories against emerging and re-emerging hemorrhagic fevers as Ebola, Lassa Fever and others.

     

  • Ekiti, Osun 2014 polls: Military panel recommends retirement of officers

    Ekiti, Osun 2014 polls: Military panel recommends retirement of officers

    The military has come down hard on its officers who were unprofessional during the governorship elections in Ekiti and Osun states in 2014 and in last year’s general elections.

    Chief of Army Staff Lt.-Gen. Tukur Buratai said the military will be returned to its full professional status when he received the report of the Army Board of Inquiry (BoI) set up to probe allegetions of misconduct against its personnel during the elections.

    The panel, which was set up on October 23, last year, was headed by the General Officer Commading (GOC) I Division, Maj.-General Adeniyi Oyebade. The panel sat in Kaduna.

    There were protests over how soldiers intimidated the opposition in the governorship elections. The then ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is believed to have used soldiers to aid its victory in the June 21, 2014 Ekiti poll that brought Governor Ayo Fayose into office. Soldiers were allegedly used to intimidate All Progressives Congress (APC) members and sympathisers.

    Army Captain Sagir Koli later revealed details of how the military was used to rig the election.

    PDP also tried the same trick in the August 9, 2014 Osun governorship election, but this was resisted by the Rauf Aregbesola-led APC administration.

    But many leaders, including Senator Isiaka Adeleke, were prevented from leaving their homes to vote.

    Yesterday, Gen. Oyebade announced that two officers had been recommended for compulsory retirement for their roles in the fiasco.

    Other recommendations include:

    *Three officers to lose their command and one recommended for prosecution for collecting financial gratification.

    *15 officers are to be placed on the watch list;

    *Nine officers to be further investigated by the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) for allegations levelled against them;

    *Six officers to face an audit committee and

    *62 officers (mostly of the rank of Major and below) to be given Letters of Displeasure and to appear before their General Officers Commanding (GOCs) for counselling.

    Explaining how the panel operated, Gen. Oyebade said  the Board placed advertorials in the media, requesting for memoranda from the public before the commencement of sitting.

    He said 23 officers and over 100 soldiers and 62 civilians appeared before the panel.

    Gen. Oyebade described the recommendations as “far-reaching to assist the Nigerian Army and the nation in the future”.

    He thanked the Army for the opportunity to serve and acknowledged the support and cooperation the panel received from the Police and other security agencies and the public.

    Gen. Buratai thanked the Board for a “thorough” and “dispassionate” job devoid of influence from any quarters.

    He expressed delight that the Board, knowing the gravity and implication of its report on the careers of officers and impact on the Nigerian Army, discharged its assignment diligently and professionally. He promised that the report will be reviewed – in line with Nigerian Army’s legal and administrative procedures.

    The Chief of Army Staff also enjoined members of the Board to share the knowledge acquired in the course of their assignment with their colleagues for the benefit of the Army and the nation.

    During the Osun State governorship election, security was deployed mainly against the opposition party. Some of the security men wore hoods and arrested members of the opposition, including the then APC National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, who was held for “wandering.”

    In Ekiti, APC governors were prevented from entering the state to campaign for the party’s candidate, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, as part of the security clampdown.

    Edo State Governor Adams Oshiomhole was stopped from flying out of Benin to campaign for Fayemi. Former Rivers State Governor Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi was stopped at the boundary between Ekiti and Ondo states and prevented from driving into the state by securitymen who threatened to shoot at his convoy.

    Captain Sagir Koli, an Intelligence officer of the 32 Artillery Brigade, Akure, released a secretly recorded tape of discussions between a general and some PDP leaders plotting how to influence the election.

    The audio tape detailed how some (then) top Federal Government officials and the PDP, including then Minister of State for Defence Musiliu Obanikoro, Police Affairs Minister Jelili Adesiyan, PDP chieftain Iyiola Omisore, then PDP governorship candidate Ayo Fayose and Brigade Commander, 32 Artillery Brigade, Brig.-Gen. Aliyu Momoh, among others, used the Army and other security agencies to rig the election.

    Capt. Koli said 1,006 military officers and men were deployed in Ekiti, as part of a “Special Task Force” for the election.

    The APC alleged that “soldiers were deployed in each of the 16 local governments with the express instruction to “work” with the PDP contacts in the local governments.

    “Special stickers were given to select PDP officials so that their vehicles could be granted unfettered access to any part of the state, despite the traditional Election Day restriction of movement.”

     

  • Ewi, Sultan call for night grazing ban in Ekiti

    The Ewi of Ado-Ekiti, Oba Rufus Adejugbe, and the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar III, have called for a ban on night grazing in Ekiti State, saying this will end clashes between farmers and cattle rearers.

    At a parley  at the Ewi’s palace in Ado-Ekiti, the rulers said grazing should be banned from 6pm to 6am.

    They recommended that committees, comprising farmers, cattle rearers, security agencies, representatives of traditional rulers and councils, should be established.

    The parley, which was organised to settle conflicts over alleged grazing rights and destruction of farms by cattle, was attended by a government delegation, led by the Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development, Kehinde Odebunmi; members of the Ewi-in-Council and representatives of the Sultan.

    Present also were the national leadership of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN), led by its National President, Alhaji Muhammadu Kirwa Hardon Zuru; representatives of the police and Department of State Services (DSS) as well as farmers’ groups and leaders of the cattle rearers.

    Praising the government for its efforts at maintaining peace, they stressed the need to curb the ugly trend.

    Other recommendations include setting up vigilance groups, taking a census of cattle owners and decentralising the leadership of cattle rearers to comprise an Ardo/Seriki Fulani in each senatorial district with a new head at the state level to be responsible to the national body.

    The stakeholders emphasised the need to reposition the leadership of Miyetti Allah Association for effective control of herdsmen.

    They added that grazing routes and reserves must be developed to serve as a permanent solution.

    Commending the Ewi and Sultan for their role, they noted that the patience, understanding and resilience of farmers’ groups in the state was laudable.

    Odebunmi thanked the monarchs and others for their peace efforts.

  • $2.1b arms cash: Ex-minister flees over Osun, Ekiti polls

    $2.1b arms cash: Ex-minister flees over Osun, Ekiti polls

    EFCC traces N1.450b to four firms

    Official says PDP got funds for election

    How much of the $2.1 billion arms purchase cash went into the Ekiti and Osun states governorship elections?

    What role did a former minister play in the alleged diversion of the funds?

    These are some of the questions the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is battling to answer in its probe of the phoney arms deals that set the treasury back by millions of dollars.

    The cash was wired into the former minister’s accounts, the anti-graft agency is believed to have discovered.

    Governorship elections were held in Ekiti (June 2014) and in Osun (August 2014).

    But the former minister, one of the leading lights of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the Southwest, has sneaked out of the country.

    It was learnt that he may relocate from his hideout  because it is considered as “unsafe” for him.

    There are fears that if he remains in the hideout, his extradition for trial would be easier, a source told The Nation.

    The source said: “The huge funds were paid into the accounts of the ex-Minister for elections in the two states.

    “There are allegations that the funds were not disbursed as expected because the candidates had their own campaign funds.

    “Although some military and security personnel were to benefit from the slush funds, they were also shortchanged.”

    Some bankers who managed the accounts have already given some information to EFCC investigators.

    “But we have discovered that the ex-Minister has sneaked out of the country. As soon as we establish his whereabouts, we know what to do,” the source said.

    The Nation could not reach the former minister last night.

    It was gathered that another N1.450billion fraud had been uncovered by the EFCC following revelations by one of the accused persons on trial.

    The discovery is contained in the heap of evidence filed in the court by EFCC for the trial of 10 suspects.

    The money was paid into some accounts which were submitted by a “former Accountant-General” whose identity the suspect in the Office of the National Security Adviser(ONSA) refused to disclose.

    “I could remember the following companies and account numbers were submitted by the former Accountant -General which we paid monies into. Below are the companies and amounts so far paid: Stellavera Dev Company(N300m); First Aralac Global Limited(N300m); First Aralac Global Limited(N100m); Damaris Mode(N300m);  Stellavera Dev Company(N200m) and Whese Farms Ltd(N250m).

    “I was directed to pay monies into the above accounts. I do not know what the monies were meant for, “ the accused person said.

    Meanwhile, a Staff Officer, Account 1, Yazidu Ibrahim has disclosed that most payments from the ONSA were meant to pursue the PDP presidential election.

    He claims to have payment vouchers of all funds remitted to PDP beneficiaries, companies and contractors.

    He made the disclosures in a statement made to EFCC as a witness.

    Ibrahim said: “My duties include recording financial transactions and to keep custody of all duplicate copies  of financial transactions. Also to prepare bank reconciliation statements and to collect statements from all banks.

    “The year 2014-2015 transactions were mainly to support the presidential election of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

    “Those payments to contractors or individuals by deposit into their accounts were based on instructions from the DFA. The tellers are attached to the payment vouchers.

    “All payments to contractors are based on directive from DFA. Sometimes, there is accompanying  document; most times, there is  nothing except account details of contractors.”