Prosecute Fayose Over Inciting Broadcast, APC Tells Rights Commission, ICC

SAN FRANCISCO, April 21, (THEWILL) – The Ekiti State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has urged the National Human Rights‎ Commission (NHRC) and International Criminal Court (ICC) in the Hague, Holland, to prosecute Governor Ayodele Fayose over inciting broadcast that threatened the peace of the state in the last few days.

Ekiti State APC Publicity Secretary, Taiwo Olatubosun, said this became imperative in the face of one death recorded in Efon Alaaye and near collapse of peace after the governor made a live broadcast on the state radio and television urging his supporters into an act of rage and violence‎ to attack the 19 APC lawmakers and prevent them from performing their constitutional duties.

“Governor Fayose few weeks ago mobilised his supporters to confront the APC lawmakers who were coming to perform their legal duties in Ekiti State. He had earlier urged his supporters to defend his election with last the drop of their blood.”

“In obedience to‎ his order, his supporters in Efon stormed the security check-point and engaged the security agents who they perceived as paving the way for the APC lawmakers to enter the state. In the ensuing gunfire, Modupe Olaiya was shot dead.”

“In response, Fayose rented a woman to pose as the mother of the deceased to claim that an APC lawmaker ‎shot Modupe dead. Few days later, the real mother of the deceased showed up, raising the alarm in the media that the impersonator was a woman leader of Fayose's party (PDP). She accused the impersonator of taking government's inducement to implicate an innocent man,” Olatubosun explained.

He added that on Sunday, the governor made another broadcast urging his supporters to violent resistance to ‎prevent the lawmakers from sitting on his impeachment proceeding over sundry constitutional breaches.

“As if this was not enough crime against peaceful atmosphere for the civil society, the governor raised his cronies in the transport unions in flagrant violation of the Nigerian law to make a public announcement on the state media as if the unions are government organs or agencies to threaten the peace of the state,” Olatubosun said.

“‎The unions urged their members to invade the House of Assembly to violently prevent the lawmakers from performing their legal duties 'with the last drop of their blood”.

“His thugs had earlier attacked the APC secretariat after General Muhammadu Buhari of APC was declared the winner of the March 28 presidential election. After APC's victory dance round the state capital, his thugs responded in the evening, attacking party office where APC members received deep matchete cuts.”

The party urged the rights commission and ICC to open their books for the earlier petitions over rights abuses by the governor, saying he remained the greatest security risk to peace that is essential for the sustenance of Nigeria's democracy.