No matter how long it takes, the governor will pay for his illegalities
Today, I will draw analogies from a drama by the popular Moses Olaiya alias Baba Sala, as well as two Yoruba proverbs which, in my view best describe the personality and the predicament of Governor Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti State in his current self-inflicted impasse. First Olaiya’s drama. Olaiya, in the drama in question, said he could slap a masquerade, slap a policeman and complete the madness by stoning a judge, all because of the godfather that he had in that drama. (Mo le gba eegun loju, mo le gba olopa leti; ma tun soko lu adajo), he had boasted. Really, with some godfathers, one can get away with anything, anything including blue murder! With President Goodluck Jonathan solidly behind Fayose, the Ekiti governor has gone away with many illegalities.
Now, the proverbs. One is that of the hangman that would never want a sword dangled over his child’s head (abenilori ki fe ki a gbe ida koja lori omo oun). And the other, is that of a person who spat on the ground only to quickly rub it with his foot; it is because that person knows the evil to which spittle could be put (eni to tuto sile to f’ese raa, o mo nkan ti won nfi ito se). But before proceeding, it is better to expatiate to vividly drive home my point concerning the first proverb, for effect. In Yorubaland, masquerades are not regarded as ordinary human beings; they are seen more as heavenly beings. So, for a Yoruba man to say he would slap a masquerade is a serious matter because he is aware of the enormous powers they are supposed to carry as heavenly beings (ara orun). Add that to the fellow slapping a policeman. Mind you, it is the policeman that would be called to arrest him after slapping the masquerade. Then to want to complete the invidious act by stoning a judge! That’s the ultimate in the series of the impunities.
These, basically, are the things Fayose has been doing since his return as Governor of Ekiti State in October last year. He had slapped a masquerade, slapped a policeman and even stoned a judge, at least metaphorically, given the many impunities he had committed since returning to the Government House in Ado-Ekiti. Governor Fayose has been uneasy since the 19 members of the state house of assembly (who fled the state due to the heat generated by their clash with the governor) indicated their intention to return, early this month. We have witnessed all kinds of shenanigans and subterfuge to keep the legislators at bay, especially since the idea of the governor’s impeachment was mooted by the 19 lawmakers of the All Progressives Congress (APC). The governor has been doing what he knows how to do best, including issuing threats as well as organising protests to prevent the legislators from sitting.
But, one big question in all these is whether the governor has committed impeachable offences. The answer, of course is, yes. Fayose instigated seven legislators in the state house of assembly to sit and remove the authentic speaker, Wale Omirin, whereas at least nine members were required constitutionally in the 26-member house. He reportedly brought in three unknown quantities that he alleged were members of the house. To date, the identities of the three remain unknown. Could he have been working on the theory that he could eventually get three of the APC legislators to his side to say they were the three unknown quantities in order to make the required constitutional quorum? If that was his plan, obviously, he has failed as the APC lawmakers have remained stronger, determined and united since their travails began last year. As a matter of fact, the state APC chapter had said only the seven Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) lawmakers in the house sat to remove the speaker as well as confirmed the appointment of commissioner nominees. It was the same pattern when Fayose wanted the consent of the state assembly for the 2015 budget. What has happened is that rather than find legitimate ways of getting the APC lawmakers back to do business, Fayose resorted to strong-arm tactics, using soldiers and policemen sometimes to do his bidding.
That was why he did everything to campaign against General Muhammadu Buhari, the APC presidential candidate in the run-up to the elections. Fayose could not in his wildest imagination have thought of a situation where President Jonathan could lose the reelection, not to talk of conceding defeat even before the official announcement of the final result. Although the governor is not contesting any election now, he was one of those in my mind when I wrote a few weeks back that those waiting in the wings for President Jonathan’s crutches to scale the elections or continue in office after the sins they had committed under presidential cover would be disappointed because the president himself would need crutches to get reelected. I therefore did not see how he could be of any help to such characters who could not stand on their own. The life support that they were all banking on from Abuja has been cut off. Perhaps Fayose, even in his crudity could have been a little measured in his actions and utterances if he ever realised that this was the shape things would eventually take.
The illegalities that he had committed can only be tolerated in a banana republic. Unfortunately, rather than call Fayose to order, President Jonathan preferred to look the other way, thus giving tacit approval to the governor’s impunities and encouraging him to commit even more. It is sad that this is the kind of thing Ekiti people in particular and Nigerians in general are subjected to in the twenty-first century. Nigerians must be grateful that President Jonathan has been stopped by being denied reelection; so we can be hopeful that never again would we see the kind of impunities committed by the likes of Fayose in the country. One could only have imagined what Nigeria would be like if people like Fayose are not denied oxygen from Abuja by voting out President Jonathan on March 28.
Now, seeing his job is on the line, Fayose ran to the Federal High Court in Abuja to stop the APC legislators from doing their job. So, Fayose could still believe in the judiciary, the same judiciary that his thugs insulted and assaulted? Wonderful! Mercifully, the court in its wisdom has turned down this request.
Without doubt, Ekiti people reserve the right to determine who their governor should be; but they should also understand that the state is a part of Nigeria and the country has its constitution which is the grundnorm. Whoever does anything contrary to the constitutional stipulations must be made to face the full weight of the law. That, for me, is the point we should be making. It is because Fayose himself knows the extent of the impunities he had committed that he is now afraid of the APC legislators sitting because he knows that would automatically result in his impeachment.
We must lament a situation where the once erudite Ekiti people are now living by ‘stomach infrastructure’, a term coined by Fayose to show the limits of his knowledge at a time the rest of the civilised world is breaking new grounds in science and technology. Even our colleagues in the backbenchers’ league – Singapore, Taiwan, Malaysia – etc. are not living by bread or ‘stomach infrastructure’ alone. They have since abandoned us as a country when they see the kind of leaders we have been entrusting our lives to. If Governor Fayose is impeached this time around, he would make history as the first governor in the country to suffer such fate twice. This, perhaps, is not what is making Fayose nervous. More importantly, he is afraid of his shadows.
His name (I)Fayose had worked for him to become governor twice and twice has he abused the privilege. He seems to have committed too many sins even for the Ifa divinity to forgive. This time around, there appears no incantation or propitiation that can rescue him because he has literally climbed the tree beyond leaves (o ti gun igi koja ewe). In simpler terms, he has stolen too much for the owners to notice. So, I am afraid, Ifa may not be able to deliver him as things stand. Fayose must get his comeuppance. Even if it tarries, it will surely come.
