Ekiti State Governor Ayo Fayose has turned down a request from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) National Chairman Senator Ali Modu Sheriff to forward the list of governors for the national convention scheduled for June.
Sheriff made the request to Fayose in his capacity as chairman of the PDP Governors’ Forum in a letter dated March 29, which was signed by the party’s National Secretary, Prof. Wale Oladipo.
Fayose belongs to the faction led by the National Caretaker Committee Chairman Senator Ahmed Makarfi.
The two factions are locked in a bitter battle. The case is before the Supreme Court.
Fayose, in a reply dated April 4 and titled: “Re: Nomination of Governors for National Convention”, said he did not recognise Sheriff as the national chairman and would not oblige the request to send the list.
He said: “I wish to state that, I, Ayo Fayose, do not recognise you as the party’s national chairman and will not have anything to do with you.
“I don’t have interest in a kangaroo convention being remote-controlled by the Federal Government.
“You are, therefore, advised to leave me out of any arrangement in which you are being portrayed as the leader of the party.
“I will not welcome any further correspondence from the Ali Modu Sheriff faction because I’m not interested in the so-called convention.”
Tag: Fayose
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Convention list: Fayose turns down Sheriff’s request
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Fayose afraid of his shadow, says APC
The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ekiti State has said Governor Ayo Fayose should be ready to face justice and stop accusing his predecessor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, of plotting to remove him.
It said the governor was afraid of his shadow.
The state Deputy Chairman, Mrs. Kemisola Olaleye, who spoke yesterday at a rally for members in Ado-Ekiti Local Government, said Fayose was being haunted by crimes allegedly committed against the constitution.
The rally, which took place at Ereguru was tagged: “March on Ado Ekiti by Ado APC”, was organised to sensitise the people to prepare for 2018.
Mrs. Olaleye warned Fayose to leave Fayemi out of his travails.
Publicity Secretary Taiwo Olatunbosun said no amount of blackmail and propaganda would dissuade the party from seeking justice.
“Fayose is jittery and he is being haunted by his past as regards to the 2014 election which he knows was manipulated. -
Fayemi plotting my removal, says Fayose
•Minister: allegation laughable
Ekiti State Governor Ayo Fayose has accused his predecessor Dr Kayode Fayemi of plotting to “come back to power through the backdoor”.
Fayose alleged that Fayemi and his allies in the Presidency were working with three Supreme Court judges to invalidate the June 21, 2014 governorship election to bring Fayemi back to power.
The governor, who addressed a briefing yesterday at the Osuntokun Lodge, Government House, Ado-Ekiti, vowed to resist any attempt to steal the mandate given to him.
He accused Fayemi, who is Minister of Mines and Steel Development, of “name dropping” and attempting to subvert democracy and turning Ekiti to a banana republic.
But the minister’s Special Assistant (Media) Olayinka Oyebode said the governor would not be dignified with any response.
He described the governor’s allegation as “laughable”.
Oyebode said: “The allegation is laughable, we will not want to dignify his allegation with any response. The wicked runneth when nobody pursueth.”
Fayose said one of the Supreme Court justices recently arrested by the Department of State Services (DSS) alleged that Fayemi’s friend came to lobby him to assist in reversing the result.
Alluding to an interview in the March 26 edition of ThisDay where Fayemi described the election as “unfinished business”, Fayose said he raised the alarm because the alleged plot “has now reached an advanced stage”.
Speaking during a question and answer session with reporters, the governor said an intelligence report showed that underhand tactics to “unhorse” him were about to be unleashed. -
Fayemi colluding with Supreme Court judges to sack me – Fayose
Ekiti State Governor, Ayo Fayose, has accused his predecessor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, of plotting to “come back to power through the backdoor,” by enlisting the support of the judiciary to reverse his victory in the June 21, 2014 governorship election in the state.
Fayose alleged that Fayemi and his allies in the Presidency are working with three Supreme Court judges to invalidate the 2014 governorship election result and bring the Minister of Solid Minerals back to power and suppress the electoral wishes of Ekiti people.
The governor, who addressed a press conference on Monday at the Osuntokun Lodge, Government House, Ado Ekiti, vowed to resist any attempt to steal the mandate given to him in what he described as “free, fair and credible election recommended as a model by international community, local and foreign election observers.”
He accused Fayemi of “name dropping” attempting to subvert democracy and turning Ekiti to a banana republic.
But the Special Assistant on Media to the Minister, Olayinka Oyebode, said Fayose would not be dignified with any response, describing the governor’s allegation as “laughable.”
Oyebode said: “The allegation is laughable, we will not want to dignify his allegation with any response. The wicked runneth when nobody pursueth.”
Fayose said one of the Supreme Court justices recently arrested by the Department of State Services (DSS) in a midnight sting operation alleged that a friend of Fayemi came to lobby him (the judge) to assist in reversing the 2014 governorship election result.
Alluding to an interview Fayemi granted THIS DAY newspaper in the edition of March 26, 2017 where the former governor reportedly described the 2014 governorship election as “unfinished business”, Fayose said he had to raise alarm because the alleged plot “has now reached an advanced stage.”
Apart from the newspaper interview, Fayose also claimed that Fayemi in meetings with chieftains and members of his party, the All Progressives Congress (APC) had boasted that he (Fayose) would be removed from office very soon.
He vowed not to back down from being the voice of opposition in Nigeria, advising the APC -led Federal Government to always do what is right and make life easier for Nigerians.
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‘PDP raising false alarm on Fayose’
The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ekiti State has accused the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) faction loyal to Governor Ayo Fayose of raising false alarm on an alleged plot to remove him from office.
The party said there was no place where its Chairman, Chief Olajide Awe, granted any interview or issued any statement boasting of any plot to manipulate the Judiciary to remove Fayose from office.
The Publicity Secretary, Taiwo Olatunbosun, stated this in Igede-Ekiti, at the weekend, during an empowerment programme organised by the Architect Deji Adetuberu Foundation (ADAF) for over 200 widows in Ekiti Central.
Olatunbosun said: “The statement did not emanate from the office of the Chairman neither did the office of the Publicity Secretary has knowledge of such. So it is the handiwork of the factional PDP in Ekiti State and of course, the governor.
“They are doing this to deceive Nigerians that their government of fraud and electoral robbery should continue to perpetrate illegality.”
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Why Fayose demolished my petrol station – APC chieftain
An Ado Ekiti oil dealer and a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief Remi Oguntuase, has described the demolition of his filling station as “politically motivated, malicious and act of vendetta” on the part of Governor Ayo Fayose. Oguntuase, popularly known as REMOG, said he has valid papers and received clearance from all regulatory agencies before he started the construction.
“I have documents for the work being done here and it was inspected and certified fit by agencies like DPR, Fire Service, Town Planning Authority, Surveyor General’s office and other relevant agencies of government and I paid the required fees and have the receipts. After the January 8 fire incident at Strive Energy Petrol Station, he (Fayose) ordered that we stopped work and I complied and dialogue has been going on. The Ewi of Ado Ekiti and Commissioner of Police called us on Tuesday.
“I was at the Ewi’s palace after the king had ordered us to call off our strike with the Commissioner of Police and other stakeholders in attendance. Between 3.30 and 4.00 pm, the governor was here in shorts giving orders to pay loader from the Ministry of Works to demolish my structure.
“I don’t think the governor is doing this in public interest as he wants the public to believe. The action was politically motivated; he is doing this because I am an APC leader, a foundation member since the days of Alliance for Democracy (AD),” he said.
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Appeal Court reserves ruling on EFCC’s case against Fayose
The Court of Appeal sitting in Ado-Ekiti on Thursday reserved ruling on the application filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), urging the court to restrain the Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose, from using his account.
The Counsel to EFCC, Rotimi Oyedepo, told the court that application was supported by a seven- paragraph affidavit, aimed at restraining the respondent from making further withdrawal from the account pending the determination of the substantive appeal.
Oyedepo argued that by the rules of the court of appeal the judges are empowered to make an injunction of such in the interest of justice.
Citing Order 4 Rule 6 to buttress his argument, Oyedepo urged the court to grant the injunction to prevent the respondent from dissipating energy on a lower court ruling.
Fayose’s counsel, Mike Ozekhome (SAN), argued that an injunction cannot be granted on an already completed or partly completed matter, since the respondent enjoys immunity.
Ozekhome, who asked the court to refuse the EFCC prayers, said the application failed because it did not show any cause of appeal.
Counsel to Zenith Bank Plc, Oluwasegun Ayinde, did not oppose the application as canvassed by the EFCC.
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Nnamani chides Fayose for ‘senseless criticisms’
The Senator Ken Nnamani-led Electoral Reform Committee’s maiden public hearing yesterday began in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital.
Nnamani criticised Ekiti State Governor Ayo Fayose for “engaging in a brand of criticism that does not require intelligence to carry out”.
He added that Fayose’s criticisms lack wisdom and infringed on people’s rights and freedom of association.
The former Senate President spoke during a stakeholder’s forum at the June 12 Cultural Centre, Kuto, Abeokuta.
Fayose had dismissed the committee as a body whose efforts at electoral reform in Nigeria is “dead on arrival”.
The governor, who was represented by a member of the House of Assembly, Idowu Omotoso, had criticised the committee and called on the chairman to resign on the grounds that he was a member of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
According to Fayose, an independent person should lead the committee.
“If this government is actually serious about electoral reform, then the chairman of this committee should resign and allow an independent person take over.
“Senator Ken Nnamani is a Southeast regional leader of APC and hence incapable of rising above primordial and party sentiments to give us anything different from electoral inconclusiveness that we have at the moment.
“The only time this country made an attempt at reliable Electoral Reform was during the tenure of President Umaru Yar’Adua who appointed retired Chief Justice Mohammed Uwais as the chairman.
“This singular move gave the panel credibility, widespread acceptability and massive supports from all over the country and across political divides,” Fayose said.
The governor identified INEC, the police and other security agencies as the “major problems of Nigeria’s electoral system”.
But the ex-Senate president responding to Fayose’s diatribe, said the governor’s criticism makes no sense since the report of the committee would still be debated by the National Assembly, whose membership consisted of people from various parties.
The APC chieftain questioned Fayose’s representative, wondering if the bills passed at the House of Assembly are for PDP members alone since the party dominated the Assembly.
Nnamani said: “It doesn’t require any intelligence to criticise.
“The governor feels that since Nnamani is no more in PDP, he is going to make sure that the report would favour APC, that doesn’t make sense because the report will still go to Mr President and the National Assembly.
“So far, we don’t have independent candidates in the National Assembly. You don’t go there to talk about the party, it concerns the people, it is the people that will legitimise what we agreed upon here.
“The easier thing to do is to criticise, the guy who represented the governor I wanted him to be here since he said he’s the chairman of a committee, I don’t know if they make rules that the bills they pass is purely for PDP..”
Opening the hearing, Ogun State Governor Ibikunle Amosun said the electoral reform was timely considering the fact that INEC had just released its timetable for the 2019 election.
Amosun challenged the committee to come out with meaningful solutions that would ensure the electoral system conforms with global best practices.
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Fayose demolishes three filling stations
There was tension in parts of Ado-Ekiti, the Ekiti State capital, yesterday as three filling stations under construction were demolished allegedly on the orders of Governor Ayo Fayose.
The incident happened few hours after members of the state chapter of Petrol Dealers Association of Nigeria (PEDAN) suspended their two-day strike, following the intervention of traditional rulers.
The uncompleted filling stations were demolished for allegedly being located in residential areas.
Our reporter, who moved round at 6.30 pm, noticed that one of the filling stations in Irona was very close to AUD Primary School; the other one was situated at Ijigbo near Fayose Market. The last one was located in Okeyinmi.
The situation at the sites was rowdy as large crowds, including suspected thugs and commercial motorcyclists, gathered causing traffic snarl.
The owner of one of the demolished filling stations, Chief Remi Oguntuase a.k.a. REMOG, confirmed that agents of government carried out the demolition.
Oguntuase, who spoke with our reporter on phone, said he was in the office of the police commissioner in connection with the incident.
Government bulldozers also leveled a land acquired to build a filling station at Okeyinmi area.
The pit dug for the tank of the station had been covered with sand by workmen deployed to carry out the exercise.
The exercise started on Monday and was completed yesterday.
The governor, who later visited the scene, to assess the level of work said the land has been confiscated from the owner “in overall public interest”. -
Fayose slams police
Ekiti State Governor Ayo Fayose has slammed the police for the brutalisation of a woman, Mrs. Toyin Adeyeye, by some policemen for allegedly refusing to bribe them.
Mrs. Adeyeye, her two-month-old baby, Heritage and younger brother, Adeniyi Dada, were detained at New Iyin Road Police Station but were later released, following the intervention of the state chapter of International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA).
The victim’s husband, Akanni, claimed that about five policemen battered his wife for refusing to “grease their palms”.
But the Commissioner of Police, Abdullahi Chafe, alleged that Mrs. Adeyeye slapped one of the policemen.
But Fayose vowed that manhandling of women under any guise will no longer be condoned in the state, adding that it was unlawful for any policeman to raise his hand against a woman.
In a statement yesterday by his Chief Press Secretary (CPS), Idowu Adelusi, Fayose spoke during an interview shortly before the commencement of the “Meet Your Governor” programme, March edition, on Sunday night.