APC plotting to use compromised judges to oust me: Gov Fayose
Ekiti State Governor Ayodele Fayose has accused the All Progressives Congress (APC) of plotting to remove him from office.
In a letter addressed to the Acting Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Walter Onnoghen, Fayose said: “The fresh plot by the APC is aimed at compromising a section of the judiciary and muzzling democracy in their desperation to oust me.”
Fayose stated this during a press conference in his Lagos residence, yesterday.
According to him: “The essence of all these is to silence me as the voice of opposition in the country because I have bluntly rejected all overtures to defect to the ruling APC or stop talking.”
However, reacting to the allegations, the APC spokesman, Bolaji Abdullahi, contended that since the governor mentioned specific names that were involved in the alleged plot, those persons would respond as the party does not exist as a nebulous entity.
Also, the party's Publicity Secretary in Ekiti, Taiwo Olatunbosun dismissed the allegation as “another ranting of a governor seeking undue attention.”
In a letter addressed to Justice Onnoghen, Fayose alleged that, “certain APC chieftains were again making moves to manipulate a section of the judiciary, particularly some judges to get through the back door what they failed severally to achieve through the ballot box as well as in open court. Even in matters already decided by the Supreme Court.
“At a recent meeting attended by APC stalwarts in Ado-Ekiti, two former governors of the state and members of the party, Segun Oni and Dr. Kayode Fayemi, bragged that there is no going back on the latest plan to subvert the will of the people of Ekiti before the expiration of my tenure in October 2018 through a planned dubious process.”
But Oni in a telephone interview with The Guardian said the allegation was an embarrassment to him and denied knowledge of any plot to remove Fayose from office.
He said: “Fayose should stop embarrassing that office. He should speak the truth and bring out facts. I don't know what he wanted to achieve with this allegation but I am very embarrassed. I hope he will be courageous enough to apologise if he found out that the allegation is not true.”
Reacting to the accusations, Fayemi in a statement by his Special Assistant on Media, Mr. Yinka Oyebode, said: “This allegation is not only irresponsible, it is quite unfair to two former governors of the state.
“My advice to him is: Let the governor go and honour the promises he made to the Ekiti electorate. Let him pay workers their salaries, take governance more seriously and make the state safe for lives, property and investments. If he can do these, then he needs fear no one,” Fayemi stated.
Meanwhile, the Ekiti House of Assembly yesterday asked those calling for Fayose's removal to send President Muhammadu Buhari packing first before embarking on what they described as “illegal removal” of the state governor.
The lawmakers stressed that the people of the state had no apology for supporting Fayose.