The 19 All Progressives Congress lawmakers in Ekiti State
House of Assembly have said there is no going back on the impeachment notice
issued against Governor Ayodele Fayose.
The embattled Speaker, Dr Adewale Omirin, said the governor
cannot run away from the process because the impeachment notice served on him
was a constitutional matter and contained serious issues of the law.
He said instead of staying in hiding to evade justice, it is
better to live with the reality that the rule of law has come to stay in the
country.
He said this while reacting to media reports credited to the
factional Speaker, Dele Olugbemi, and the governor’s media aide, Lere Olayinka, dismissing the impeachment notice
as a joke.
Omirin in a statement by his Special Adviser on Media, Wole
Olujobi, said the move was to rescue democracy from the gridlock of executive lawlessness and impunity into which
the state had been driven by the governor.
He said, “It will soon dawn on Fayose and his aides that the
matter at hand goes beyond exuberant media skirmishes that are being deployed
to rally support for the governor.
“Attention of the world has shifted to Ekiti State following
the leaked tape detailing electoral fraud perpetrated to give Fayose victory.
After that, several issues in Ekiti State are being questioned on the place of
the constitution in nurturing democracy in the country, and as responsible
citizens, we must act right to make democracy work.”
Omirin said all allegations raised in the impeachment notice
were constitutional matters, to which the governor must be ready to produce
answers instead of “belligerent attitude” in the media in addressing
serious issue of constitutional significance.
Advising the governor to respond to the allegations against
him, he said running away from the Government House and using his aides to
cover his track would not help him in defending his assault on the nation’s
constitution and other infractions against the constitution that were already
established against him in courts.
“It is good that his men are talking in the media about the
need to uphold the constitution in this matter even though they behave short of
upholding the constitution in their conduct.
“Even though the governor trampled on the same constitution
when he led thugs to attack judges in court and tore court records in the Chief
Judge’s office, our duty is to follow constitutional path in this impeachment
process.
“These men that are flying the governor’s banner will soon
see the law in action. This impeachment process is real.
We must rescue Ekiti State from lawlessness and fraud. The
N1.3 billion poultry project fraud case is still in court. There are still
cases of unresolved murders.
“We have again seen the resumption of state-sponsored
terrorism with thugs attacking and maiming Ekiti people after a break in
2006 when the governor was impeached for fraud and attacks on opponents.
“We thought his impeachment trauma in 2006 would have
thought him a lesson, but the governor has proved that he cannot survive in a
society where the law works.
We advise him to come out of hiding and defend himself
because we are prepared to give him a fair hearing.
That is the reality he must face instead of downplaying serious matter of
constitutional consequences,” the Speaker added.
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