Tag: Fayose

Members of the National Judicial Council (NJC) yesterday condemned attacks on judges in Ekiti State.

The members faulted the Governor-elect, Mr. Ayo Fayose, for not controlling his supporters.

The Council also mandated President of the Court of Appeal Justice Zainab Bulkachuwa to relocate the Ekiti Election Petition Tribunal to Abuja if the situation in the state does not guarantee security of its members.

The NJC directed that all courts in Ekiti State be reopened  and mandated the Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Suleiman Abba, to provide adequate security for all judges in the state.

With the development, Justice Isaac Ogunyemi, who is handling the ineligibility case against Fayose will sit unhindered.

The NJC asked the IGP to unmask the thugs who assaulted judges and bring them to trial immediately.

It was gathered that all the NJC members were unhappy that thugs loyal to Fayose assaulted judges.

A source said: “Technically, the Ekiti High Court hearing the application on Fayose’s ineligibility will continue to sit.

“By its tradition and precedents, the Council  would not interfere in a judicial process which has to do with purely legal issues. That case will run its full cycle because there are still appellate courts, up to the Supreme Court, for redress.

“ The NJC only mandated the IGP to provide adequate security for all judges in Ekiti State and all judicial workers irrespective of the cases they are handling.

“We also resolved that the IGP should investigate the assault on judges in the state and bring all those behind it whether supporters or thugs to justice.”

Asked why the NJC did not provide details in its statement, another NJC member added: “This is a case involving politicians. We do not want to be seen as biased in any manner.”

The NJC’s resolutions at its emergency meeting presided over by Chairman Justice Aloma Mukhtar, signed by NJC’s Acting Director, Information, Soji Oye said: “Following the recent unfortunate and worrisome incidents in Ekiti State Judiciary, particularly in the High Court Complex, Ado-Ekiti, the National Judicial Council held an emergency meeting on October 2, 2014 under the Chairmanship of Justice Aloma Mukhtar, and considered the various complaints and petitions forwarded to it.

 “At the end of the Meeting, Council decided as follows:

•In very strong terms condemned the attacks on the Judiciary and Judicial Officers in general across the country and in particular, the one carried out in High Court complex, Ado-Ekiti on 22nd and 25th September, 2014.

•Requested the Inspector-General of Police to take over and investigate the alleged attacks on Hon. Justices John Adeyeye and Isaac Olusegun Ogunyemi, some members of staff of the Court and vandalisation of property of the High Court of Justice, Ado-Ekiti and bring the culprits to justice.

•Requested the Inspector-General of Police as a matter of urgency to provide adequate security to Judicial Officers and the Judiciary in Ekiti State.

•All petitions forwarded by all parties to the council on the matter are being looked into.”

The Nigeria Bar Association (NBA), Ikeja branch, said yesterday that the continuous closure of Ekiti state courts endangered democracy and rule of law.

Its chairman Yinka Farounbi stated this while reviewing a three-day fact finding mission to the state following attacks on some judges of the State High Court.

The association urged Ekiti Chief Judge Chief Judge Justice Adebisi. Daramola to re-open the courts, since substantial peace and normalcy have now returned to the state capital.

The NBA chairman held Fayose  liable for the mayhem and physical assault on Justice J. O Adeyeye and others last week.

The Ikeja NBA chairman said the three-day fact finding mission to the state between September 28 and 30, indicated that Mr Fayose  “did not  stop” his supporters from assaulting the judges.

According to Farounbi, the PDP governor-elect  watched his supporters physically assaulting the judge without any attempt to stop them.

“Hon. Justice Adeyeye was indeed assaulted with fist blows, whips and kicks by about 20 people who were with the governor-elect, as he was  passing by the former’s court.

 “The assault on the judicial officer happened when the judge left his Chamber and went over to Mr.Ayo Fayose, asking him to control his noisy and unruly followers. This led to an argument between the duo and the assault on the judge then took place. The governor-elect ‘did not stop his followers”, he noted.

“Those that may be found to have participated in the desecration of Ekiti judiciary should be made to face the wrath of the law no matter highly placed,” he said.

EKITI State Governor Kayode Fayemi has appointed eight permanent secretaries to fill existing vacancies.

While details of the appointment were still sketchy as at press time yesterday, it was gathered that their appointment took immediate effect.

But the Governor-Elect, Mr. Ayo Fayose, faulted the appointment, saying Fayemi was playing politics with issues that have serious consequences on the state’s welfare.

Fayose, in a statement in Ado-Ekiti by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Idowu Adelusi, said recent actions by Fayemi showed that he was desperate and playing politics of vendetta and putting stumbling blocks on the way of the incoming administration.

The statement reads: “As much as we are not opposed to people progressing in their chosen careers, one finds the recent appointments questionable. The questions the people of the state should help ask Fayemi include which ministries the new PS (permanent secretaries) will be attached? Will two PS man a ministry? Are there vacancies that the new PS will fill?

“It is very ridiculous for Fayemi, who has less than two weeks to leave office to appoint permanent secretaries for the incoming administration. It shows how evil the APC is.

“In the last four months, the outgoing government has created 19 new LCDAs (local council development areas), employed 3,000 workers without following due process and right now backlog of salaries of workers are yet to be paid and workers are currently on strike.

“It is evidence that Fayemi does not love Ekiti State. His activities are not statesmanlike and honourable. Nigerians should now know that his activities are to put stumbling blocks on the path of the incoming government.”

Adelusi wondered why all the actions were taking place in the twilight of Fayemi’s departure from office.

He added that the incoming government would review most of the policies taken in the twilight of the Fayemi’s administration.

UNLIKE Rivers State where police lions seek presumptuously to ‘tame’ political leopards in a fierce struggle for power, and where newly posted police commanders struggle not to be ‘provoked’ by both a governor they describe as obstinate and a 1999 constitution they consider disagreeable, Ekiti manifests a different political and social ecology. With the cantankerous and excitable Ayo Fayose on his way to the State House after winning the June governorship election, political entertainment of the first rank is about to break upon all of us again. In Ekiti, we learn, when snakes moult, they don’t become anything but snakes. Well, Mr Fayose, the governor-elect, is about to begin moulting, and it is hard to say what the people of the state who voted him into office after a scandalous and abridged first term expect of him after shedding his skin.

Before the election, analysts had warned Ekiti that Mr Fayose, notwithstanding his pretensions, could not change a whit, but the hopeful and optimistic Ekiti electorate believed Mr Fayose’s contention that he had changed comprehensively and fundamentally, both politically and socially. He had become a genial politician, more reflective, less impulsive, still accommodating, and in every sense absolutely likeable, he swore. Don’t trust him, this column warned. But it was too late. By a plurality unheard of in those parts, especially given his appalling human rights records and poor performance, Mr Fayose was herded, together with his follies and foibles, into victory lock, stock and barrel. But even before he is sworn in, he has started to display his boisterously manipulative side. For a simple court process, in which someone questions his competence to contest last June’s governorship poll, Mr Fayose’s men attacked Ekiti courts, injuring lawyers, judges and litigants and chasing away onlookers and the media.

He swore he knew nothing about the attack, but he indirectly defended that brazen judicial subversion, for in his startling logic the party that lost the election was trying to trash his electoral victory and gain entrance into the State House through the window. No sensible political leader, not the least a politician who has just won an election to govern a state, should conflate the issues of litigation and physical attack on the courts, but Mr Fayose is not your usual politician. He is not more reflective, as he suggested grimly, and not less impulsive, as he privately hoped. Bearing some affinity to the Visigoths, the Germanic tribes who invaded Rome in the Fourth century, he prides himself more substantially on his ability to lay waste anything that smacks of civilization, discipline and order.

Hear his justification for the attack on the Ekiti court: ” I am not aware that a judge was beaten up. In fact, this is strange to me. This is reckless and strange to me…How can I order the people to beat up a judge that has nothing to do with me? At what point was this judge beaten? Was he a member of the tribunal? Because I went to the tribunal and not the regular court. But I want to point out that a situation whereby judges or judicial officers , who should be custodians of the law, got compromised with politicians, then anarchy will set in…If you have been defeated in all the 16 local governments areas and you now want to come through the window, it won’t be like ice cream party to APC. I would not be too cheap like Segun Oni. I am not going to be cheap at all because I am elected by the people…I don’t care about whatever they write about me because I have grown a thick skin. The strategy of APC will not work. Nobody, no matter how highly placed, will remove me cheaply.”

Well, now you know the truth, in case you thought the man had changed, as he facetiously swore before the election. Instead of taking his grievances to the Appeal Court, as he has eventually done, he first laid down the justification for the senseless attack on the courts. For a state chief executive, that must be quite some recklessness. At last he has shown us what kind of society he wants to build, what kind of Ekiti people he envisions, and what his moral compass would look like. Mr Fayose, it seems, is blameless in all this, for he did not promise anything he was not, nor vouchsafe anything he could not deliver. The incurable Ekiti optimists who voted him into office should brace up for an unusual social re-engineering in the hands of the moulter-in-chief, this modern day Maximilien Robespierre who has erected a gigantic and mobile guillotine and declared, with all the atavism he could muster, that he was unmoved by public opinion or whatever any newspaper might write. Ekiti can be sure that the revolution they triggered in June will consume the cream of their society before its energy is spent.

Ekiti State governor-elect,  Mr Ayodele Fayose, has urged the police to unravel the mystery behind Aderiye’s assassination.

Fayose, who visited the widow of the ex-Chairman of the Drivers’union, Mrs. Funmilayo Aderiye, to commiserate with the family in company with his deputy, Dr Olusola Eleka, stated that Aderiye’s death was politically-motivated.

He expressed concern over alleged plan by Governor Kayode Fayemi to create tension and unrest for the incoming administration, adding that the inability of the present government to get judgment to prevent him from being sworn-in led to the attacks on his supporters.

He described the slain Aderiye as his close and dependable confidant and associate, adding,

“This is politically barbaric. In fact, it could simply be best described as too sad and barbaric. But I want to point out that the APC government must be bold enough to visit the family of the deceased, if truly they knew nothing about the death.

“He was one of my strong supporters who was with me till late on Thursday. But as a leader in this state, I am not going to make any inflammatory comment until the police conclude their investigations on the matter.

“But all this was a pointer to the fact that the outgoing government is poised to create problems before it goes. But this will not be in the interest of anyone.

“If not for the fact that we have been trying to calm frayed nerves since yesterday when Aderiye was murdered, Ekiti would have been on fire now. This is the duty we owe Ekiti as leaders.”

“Fayemi is a defeated person and I don’t expect him to say anything different. But it is very reckless for anybody to link me with the crisis in Ekiti.

“I will not join issues with him because of the respect I have for that office and in order not to increase the already mounted tension.”

AK U R E – B A S E D lawyer and rights activist, Charles Titiloye, has called on the Inspector General of Police(IGP) to arrest and prosecute Ekiti State Governor- elect, Ayo Fayose, over the attack on an Ado Ekiti High Court, which led to the closure of courts in the Ekiti State by the state Chief Judge,(CJ) Justice Ayo Daramola. Titiloye noted that Fayose did not dissociate himself from the attack on the High Court, which at the time was hearing a case on his qualification to contest the governorship election, adding that he justified the attack on the courts by stating that the CJ was biased. According to him, Fayose was further quoted as justifying the attack on the court because the trial judge ordered expeditious hearing of his case and he feared that judgment might be given before his inauguration as a Governor in Ekiti State. Titiloye said: “This is a despicable premeditated violence against the High Court in Ekiti State, with the intent of obstructing the course of Justice. “We must remind the Inspector General of Police (IGP) that nobody is above the law. Fayose has no immunity from arrest and prosecution, having not taken oath of office as the governor of the state. “His utterances are clear acts depicting his complicity in the criminal attack on the High Court. He must be brought to book in the interest of protection of institution of justice in Nigeria and protection of law and order in Ekiti State. “The era of reign of terror in Ekiti land must not be allowed to resurface again. All lovers of democracy, the judiciary and rule of law must join hands to call Fayose to order. This has become imperative in view of ongoing violence and killings in Ekiti State.”

THE judiciary had another bad day yesterday in Ado-Ekiti, the Ekiti State capital where an army of thugs unleashed violence on courts.

A judge was beaten up, his suit torn.

Lawyers, litigants and court clerks fled as the thugs smashed court properties.

It was all a repeat of the scenario on Monday when the case against the eligibility of Mr. Ayo Fayose, the governor-elect, was being heard.

The Chief Judge, Justice A. S. Daramola, whose court room was invaded, ordered all courts in the state shut for security reasons.

Officials in Justice Daramola’s office were beaten up, his record book was shredded and proceedings were disrupted.

Two other Judges – Justice Adeyeye and Justice Akintayo  – were also assaulted.

Fayose was at the Elections Petition Tribunal hearing the case of the All Progressives Congress (APC) against his victory in the June 21 election.

The thugs were said to have surged forward, entering the court premises after the policemen manning the gate had allowed Fayose in. There was commotion.

Justice Adeyeye was said to have come out to find out what was going on. The thugs descended on him.

Fayose denied last night that any Judge was beaten up.

Tribunal Chairman Justice Muhammed Siraj’s car was smashed.

Soon, instructions that workers should close for the day went round other offices and departments, forcing an early closure of the courts, including the magistrates’ and high courts.

The hoodlums, in their scores, gathered at the main road facing the premises of the court as early as 7 am, singing.

Several detachments of policemen in pick-up vans had also taken positions around the area while an armoured personnel carrier stood sturdy directly facing the entrance of the Tribunal.

At a point, tear gas was fired and people scampered away, but the thugs soon regrouped in defiance.

About three or four splinter groups from the menacing bands kept jogging up and down the main road, singing songs and checking for supposed ‘enemies’

Lakanu supervised the evacuation of the tribunal judges and the lawyers with a promise to lead them out of town.

In an interview,  the Police boss said, “actually it was rowdy, I had to leave my office and we have cleared everybody. The judges are happy and we are going to escort them out of town.

Referring to Monday’s attack on Justice Olusegun Ogunyemi who is handling a case the eligibility of Fayose, he said, “You can see that the court is very porous, they came in torrents. We tried to save the lives of the judge first, nobody was injured; the judge was protected and we even effected arrests.

“The crowd was big, and of course politicians were allowed to go about with their supporters. Initially they were peaceful, but when we discovered they were getting rowdy, we had to react. I will personally lead the team that will lead the judges and lawyers out of town. We are more than ready, we are in charge.”

Fayose: I’m not aware judge was beaten up

Governor –elect Ayodele Fayose yesterday denied that his supporters beat up Justice John Adeyeye. He described the allegation as not only unfounded, but spurious.

He said: “I am not aware that a judge was beaten up. In fact, this is strange to me.

“This is reckless and strange to me. I visited the election petition tribunal as a party to the case and I was the only one that was allowed passage by security men. To the best of my knowledge, the three judges handling the tribunal case sat.

“How can I order the people to beat up a judge that has nothing to do with me? At what point was this judge beaten? Was he a member of the tribunal? Because I went to the tribunal and not the regular court.

“But I want to point out that a situation whereby judges or judicial officers , who should be custodians of the law got compromised with politicians, then anarchy will set in.

“The judge handling the suit against my qualification dropped the case because of tension and because he lacks the confidence to continue.

“It would have been better for him to insist that he would try the case based on its merit. It is sad that most of our judges have compromised.

“If you have been defeated in all the 16 local governments areas and you now want to come through the window, it won’t be like ice cream party to APC. I would not be too cheap like Segun Oni. I am not going to be cheap at all because I am elected by the people.

“I don’t care about whatever they write about me because I have grown a thick skin. The strategy of APC will not work. Nobody, no matter how highly placed, will remove me cheaply.”

Ekiti State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice Mr. Wale Fapohunda said  yesterday how Governor-elect Ayo Fayose’s supporters beat up Justice John Adeyeye.

Fapohunda said: “Justice Adeyeye, who was presiding over a case, accosted Fayose while moving around with his supporters (within the court premises) and advised him to desist from moving around  and causing disruption of court proceedings.” According to him, that led to “the exchange of hot words between the duo, resulting in the manhandling of the judge.”

Fapohunda, who admitted that he did not see the judge and had not spoken to him, after he was assaulted, added: “I was informed that the irate youths attacked the judge on the order of the governor-elect. Though, I have not spoken with the victim judge directly, all the relevant judicial officers confirmed to me the action of the hoodlums.”

EKITI State governor-elect Mr. Ayodele Fayose has accused the All Progressives Congress (APC) of trying to obtain judgment through the backdoor to truncate his inauguration on October 16 and install the Speaker of Ekiti State House of Assembly as acting governor.

Fayose, who disclosed this at a media briefing at his Magodo, Lagos residence yesterday, said the target of the APC, through Justice Segun Ogunyemi, was to obtain a jankara (backdoor) judgment and install the Speaker under the pretext that he (Fayose) was not qualified to contest the June 21 governorship election.

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate said it was curious that Justice Ogunyemi, who was forced to stop court proceedings by suspected party thugs recently, delivered the judgment on preliminary objections in the morning.

He added that the judge was going to proceed to hear the substantive suit and deliver judgment the same day.

But the thugs disrupted the court proceedings in Ado Ekiti, the state capital and chased away the judge and lawyers from court room with dangerous weapons.

Fayose said the events in Ekiti State showed that certain interests were being represented and that some judicial officers are being compromised.

The governor-elect, who was supported by former Deputy Governor Abiodun Olujimi during the briefing, said the E-11, an association of professionals of Ekiti State origin, had instituted the case against him two weeks before the June 21 election, claiming that he was not qualified to contest the polls.

He argued that it appeared as if the judge suddenly woken from a slumber and wanted to rush the case to represent certain interests.

His words: “Will it not interest you to know that in less than 24 hours, the judge has turned in the case file. This same judge had adjourned this matter for more than three months. I have been elected for well over three months now. The matter came almost two weeks before my election. But suddenly the judge just woke up from a slumber, to want to rush a case to represent certain interest.”

The governor-elect noted that it was regrettable that the process in court was disrupted.

He added: “It’s unfortunate. But don’t forget that the average man on the streets knows what they want and they are equally more enlightened than before, when somebody would just come, pay a judge somewhere for a backdoor judgment, to stall a process, to steal people’s mandate.”

Fayose added that he and his party was not opposed to trials. “But we want trials done through due process. What is the hurry for this judge? What is his interest?” he queried.

He alleged that the Chief Judge of Ekiti State was an interested party in the matter. “We have been told that he wants to assign the matter to himself. He is a clear member of the E-11; the petitioners. We want a judge who is ready to carry out his assignment as a judge; who is ready to respect the Constitution of Nigeria, to try matters by being fair to all concerned and be accountable to Nigerians,” he said.

Fayose enjoined the authorities at the judicial and executive level, to beam the searchlight on Ekiti and look beyond the propagandas of the political parties.

He said he had just arrived from an overseas trip on Tuesday night and that he decided to state his own side of what was going on because of its political implication.