Fayose Asks Opposition to Forgive Him as He Celebrates Court Victory

Following the Supreme Court’s validation of his victory in the Ekiti governorship poll, Governor Ayodele Fayose on Tuesday pleaded with the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) to embrace his government in order to foster peace and engender radical development in the state,  Thisday reports..

Fayose, who waved the olive branch to his adversaries, apologised for whatever offences he might have committed against anyone in the course of his political career, saying he had no grudge against anyone for challenging his victory in the June 21 governorship election.

The Supreme Court dismissed the appeal of the APC against the judgment of the Court of Appeal, which had earlier dismissed the party’s appeal against the judgment of the Ekiti Governorship Election Tribunal after the latter had upheld the election of Fayose as the governor of Ekiti State.

In a unanimous judgment, a panel of seven justices of the court held that his impeachment in October 2006 was not grounds for disqualification, citing Section 182(1)(e) of the constitution which listed the grounds for disqualification.

Justice Sylvester Nwali Ngwuta, who delivered the lead judgment, held that only a court of law or the Code of Conduct Tribunal could find a person guilty before such a person could be disqualified from standing for election for 10 years.

The justices held that the proper thing to have been done after Fayose was impeached was that should have charged him before the Code of Conduct Tribunal and that having not done that, he was not barred from re-seeking election as governor of Ekiti State.

Besides, the court held that since the first panel constituted by the then Chief Judge of the state cleared Fayose of any wrongdoing, the matter ought to have ended there in accordance with Section 188(8) of the constitution.

According to the justices, the constitution of another impeachment panel by the acting Chief Judge of the State, Justice Jide Aladejana (who was later dismissed by the National Judicial Council), was an illegality.

The court also dismissed the allegation that the Higher National Diploma (HND) submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) by Fayose was forged.

First, the court held that the allegation being criminal in nature must be proved beyond reasonable doubt and that the appellant failed to provide such proof.
Secondly, the allegation was dismissed on the grounds that the Court of Appeal had held with finality that the certificate was not forged. That was in the case filed by the defunct Alliance for Democracy (AD) when the party challenged Fayose when he was first elected governor of Ekiti State.

Apart from the lead judgment, all members of the panel took turn to read out their concurrent judgments.

As the news filtered into Ado-Ekiti, the state capital, that Fayose had won, wild jubilation erupted in the city, with thousands of party members and admirers trooping out to celebrate.

The governor later moved round the town from the Government House to Fajuyi, Oke Iyinmi, Old Garage, Ajilosun  and stopped intermittently to address the people, urging them to appeal to the opposition so that peace would prevail in Ekiti.

Addressing the crowd of supporters at Oke Iyinmi junction, Fayose said: “I am sorry for whatever mistakes I might have made. I am a human being and I cannot be perfect. All I want is for all of us to ensure that there is no tension in the state.”

Also reacting to the Supreme Court’s verdict, Fayose in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr Idowu Adelusi, said he would continue to live harmoniously with other political parties for the development of the state.
“I want to sincerely appreciate Ekiti people for their resilience and love for me. I am formally dedicating this victory to God and to them.

“Having voted for me 10 months ago, and confirming the victory by the subsequent elections in the last few weeks, they have shown that they are unequivocal about their choice and their determination to protect and defend that mandate.

“I cannot but appreciate the apex court for protecting democracy and also for living to the expectations of the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Hon. Justice Mahmud Mohammed, who had assured that under his leadership, the judiciary would not subscribe to any plot to change the outcome of elections through the instrumentality of the court.

“I think the necessary lessons must have been learnt and it is obvious that Nigeria is evolving democratically,” he said.

Fayose urged his opponents to sheathe their swords and coalesce efforts with his government to bring Ekiti out of the woods, saying nothing would profit anybody if the state is set on fire.

“To my opponents, I plead with you to sheathe your swords and join me in the development of Ekiti State. If truly our struggle is about service to our dear state, it is time to come together and channel all our resources towards the development of the state.

“I am irrevocably committed to the protection of all, including the opposition in the state.

“Nobody is infallible, and I am not a perfect being. The only one that is perfect is God, but He, in His infinite mercies has made me the Governor of Ekiti State today.

“I have a term and tenure, there will be another opportunity for Ekiti people to decide who governs them. Rather than trouble the peace of the state, our friends in the opposition parties should accept the will of God concerning our dear state and wait till 2018. I thank all stakeholders and I am assuring them that I will leave Ekiti State better than I met it,” he stated.

Also reacting to the Supreme Court’s verdict, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) yesterday described the ruling as a triumph of democracy and the rule of law.

The party said the ruling was a testimony that the judiciary is still the last hope of the common man, having sustained the wishes and aspirations of the people of Ekiti State as expressed in the June 21, 2014 governorship election.

PDP National Publicity Secretary, Olisa Metuh, in a statement, said the ruling had “given hope to the survival of democracy especially coming at a time when some officials of key institutions of democracy such as INEC and some security personnel, have already started compromising their independence apparently under the dictates of an obsessive APC”.

The party congratulated Fayose and the people of Ekiti State for their doggedness in the face of daunting challenges from anti-democratic forces and urged the governor to be magnanimous in victory while using his mandate to deliver good governance in line with the PDP manifesto and vision of the founding fathers.

The PDP restated its resolve to continue to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the governor and the people of the state and vowed to resist any form of political intimidation or blackmail aimed at destabilising the state.

“In this regard, we warn all anti-democratic forces hiding in the state, especially the outgoing APC lawmakers against any action intended directly or indirectly to destabilise the state or undermine this democratically elected PDP government under Governor Ayo Fayose,” the party said.

Also, the  South-west chapter of the PDP congratulated the people of the state and PDP in Ekiti for what it described as “serial electoral victories in Ekiti State”.

The zonal PDP, in a statement signed by its publicity secretary, Mr. Dare Omotosho, in Ado Ekiti, chided the APC for “refusing to congratulate PDP winners of elections when APC candidates are defeated, unlike what has become the standard in the country as set by President Goodluck Jonathan”.
Omotosho said: “The new political culture and standard set in the country has seen winners of elections being congratulated by their opponents, except for the APC which would always see fault in everything done by others.”

However, the APC state chapter, in its reaction, said the verdict left moral questions unanswered.

The Publicity Secretary of APC in Ekiti, Taiwo Olatubosun, said even though the party had accepted the verdict because it had no choice, “there are moral issues arising from the judgment”.

He noted that what flew from that judgment was that citizens could lie with ease under oath and get away with it.

“As at the time Mr. Fayose filled his form at INEC and lied he had never been indicted by any panel, no judgment had been delivered to reverse his impeachment until the Supreme Court verdict of today. This implies that it is profitable to lie and cheat as the end will always justify the means,” Olatunbosun said.

He added: “We had expected that the judgment will serve as a deterrent to the likes of Mr. Fayose who believes in impunity and extrajudicial method of doing things.

“We are shocked that a man who did not allow a case of eligibility against him to be heard till today at the state High Court after assaulting judges and desecrating the judiciary would come out clean at the topmost temple of justice.



“We know the law is an ass but we had expected that those who trampled on it will have their comeuppance but this was not to be.

“We accept the judgment of the Supreme Court as a law abiding party even though the moral questions it raised have refused to go.”