TheCable

The Ekiti state governorship election tribunal sitting in Abuja has dismissed the petition filed by the All Progressives Congress (APC) and its candidate, Kayode Fayemi, challenging the victory of Ayodele Fayose in the governorship election of June 2014.

According to the court, the petition was “lacking in merit”.

The court dismissed all issues raised in the petition, including the claim that Fayose was ineligible to contest the election “based on his purported impeachment and certificate forgery”.

Fayose, who contested on the platform of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), was declared winner of the election after polling 203, 090 votes to beat Fayemi, who scored 120, 433 votes.

He also won in all 16 local government areas of the state.

Opeyemi Bamidele, candidate of the Labour Party (LP), received 18,135 votes to place third.

After casting his vote, Fayemi immediately claimed that Musiliu Obanikoro, the minister of state for defence, was violating the election procedure.

“I haven’t been able to get Mr. President or his chief of staff. I had cause this morning to speak to the inspector-general of police, not once, not twice, particularly about this minister of state who was violating the election procedure,” he said.

“I have also had cause to speak to the chief of army staff about some untoward activities by his own men on the ground here.

“It has not reached a stage where this should be escalated to the president yet, but I will like to think that the president himself will not want a situation that throws Ekiti into jeopardy.”

On June 22, hours after Fayose was declared winner, Fayemi sent a congratulatory message to his opponent, saying:

“Yesterday, Ekiti state decided. Following the gubernatorial elections held in the land of honour, Ekiti state, Nigeria, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has officially returned the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as the winner of the election.

“If indeed this is the will of the Ekiti People, I stand in deference to your will. If the result of the elections is an expression of the voice of our people, we must all heed your voice.

“I have just spoken with my brother, Mr. Peter Ayodele Fayose, congratulating him on his victory. In a few hours from now, I would be meeting the governor-elect to discuss the future of our dear state and how we would work together to institute a smooth transition programme.”

The rare congratulatory message raised hopes of an unusually seamless transition, but they were soon dashed when both men got involved in a number of public verbal spats.

The trouble started in September when thugs believed to be loyal to Fayose attacked Justice John Adeyeye during the inaugural sitting of the election tribunal in Ado Ekiti, forcing an adjournment of the sitting to October 14.

Both men disagreed over the crisis and the curfew declared by the outgoing governor.

At his inauguration on October 16, Fayose promised to banish hunger, but he also directed verbal jabs at Fayemi.

“Let us also observe a minute for the departed soul of APC in Ekiti state. Not in our history again will they come back. They will never return to this state again,” he said.

“You can put a tar on the road but if I don’t have a car and I’m hungry, then that tar is meaningless. Tarring our road is wonderful but putting food inside this stomach is very important.

“When I defeated them, they said it was as a result of stomach infrastructure. How can an incumbent be saying that when he had the money, he had the power, he had the might but disconnected himself from the people. They are gone.”

Two weeks after his swearing-in, Fayose accused his predecessor of “ruining the state”.

“The previous administration of Kayode Fayemi was a monumental disaster to Ekiti and its people. Dr Kayode Fayemi ruined Ekiti state economically. He has put the state in financial bondage till year 2020,” he said.

“As of today, after paying a total sum N15, 221,207,088 (i.e. N14,299,085,088 repaid from the N20bn bond and N922,122,000.09 from the N5bn bond, the state government is still owing N26.749bn! That is the situation that we are confronted with.”

He lamented that “in a state like Ekiti with less than N3bn as monthly federal allocation, Fayemi spent a whooping sum of N604,961,645.72 just to furnish the new governor’s lodge built for the comfort of himself and his wife.”

Fayemi denied all the accusations.