The professionals, who converged on the platform of E-11, said while recent developments in the statedid not come as a surprise to them, they were deeply concerned and worried about the future of the state and the dire consequences upon the future generations.
The E-11 was reacting to the recent travails of the state governor, Ayodele Fayose, in the hands of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.
The group, in a statement at the weekend by its chairman, Femi Ajiniran, recalled that “the happenings and scenarios playing out in Ekiti were avoidable and could have been avoided, if our people had acted according to our warnings”.
Mr. Ajiniran further recalled his group’s repeated warnings to people of the state to beware of Fayose’s “deceitful tendencies” and not trust him with the sensitive position of governor for a second term, but the warnings were ignored.
The group said less than two years into the governor’s tenure, its fears are now being confirmed, if not fully confirmed by unfolding events.
“When E-11, came together as professionals from Ekiti in year 2003, our concerns and interest were mostly centred on the glory of Ekiti, and its people, their welfare, wellbeing, happiness and prosperity.
“Our desire then, was to see the advent of this glory, and become active participants in bringing it about and sustaining it. We were determined to bring our exceptionally gifted citizens on board, so that we can collectively liberate our people from shackles of oppression and poverty.
It was the uncoordinated attitude of this same Governor Fayose during his first coming, as well as his reign of terror and lack of respect for elders and traditional authorities in Ekiti that prompted us to come together so that we could rescue Ekiti from his reign of terror and to make Ekiti a conducive place to work, to live and to invest.
“We have had four executive governors elected intooffice since the advent of democratic rule in 1999; none has troubled the state and destroyed its honour, and the dignity of its people like the present governor.
We cried out prior to the 2014 governorship election in the state, we wrote to PDPat both the national and state level, not to present acandidate that will reverse the progress and the gains we have made in the sixteen years of our democracy but for selfish reasons, the then ruling party at the national level imposed Mr Fayose on the State, and went ahead to rig the election in his favour.
“We saw it coming, when a candidate in an electionwas promising the unemployed indigenes three square meals per day at the government house, if elected. Our people were deceived.
There was no clear manifesto or road map of how to tackle the economic problems in the state. The antecedent of Mr. Fayose made him unfit for the office, his academic qualification has always been controversial and questionable.
There was nothing about him that could justify his winning the election and occupying such an exalted office but for our weak democratic system as well as the federal power, money and the role of the Nigerian military that gave him victory”, it said.
The E-11 noted that its attempts to use the judiciary, through an eligibility case it instituted against Fayose was also frustrated, as he allegedlysponsored several attacks on its members, legal team and judges that handled the case inside the court room.
It pointed out that since assuming office two years ago, Governor Fayose has carried on with reckless abandon, in the process, doing what it termed a lot of collateral damage to the image of the state and the dignity of its people.
“His conduct officially and unofficially has shown that he has neither capacity nor the wisdom to holdsuch an exalted office”.According to Ajiniran, Fayose has reduced the exalted office of governor down to his level with hisuncoordinated behaviours, shabby appearance and disgraceful public conducts.
“What is happening in Ekiti at the moment negate the dreams of our heroic progenitors, who saw early in life that education is the torch light through which we can trace the pathway to personal development and by extension community development, and therefore invested heavily in our education, so that we can develop ourselves and our communities.
“We are so sure that the spirit of our fathers cannotbe happy seeing their dreams and the fame as wellas the good image they bequeathed unto us being destroyed by an outcast, who has never been part of our good history”, he stated. -infonaija
A disaster for supposed fountain of knowledge
ReplyDeleteThe Supreme Court docket yesterday sacked the senator representing Taraba North, Sani Abubakar Danladi,
ReplyDeleteand his counterpart within the Home of Representatives, Herman Hembe,
who represented Vandeikya/Konshisha Federal Constituency of
Benue State from the Nationwide Meeting, ordering them to vacate their seats in each
chambers with instant impact.
The apex court docket additionally ordered them to refund all salaries and allowances
they've thus far obtained since their inauguration into the eight Nationwide Meeting inside ninety days.
In the meantime, the court docket has ordered
the swearing in of Alhaji Shuaibu Isa Lau because the senator representing Taraba North, and Mrs.
Dorothy Mato because the member, Home of Representatives from Vandeikya / Konshisha Federal Constituency.
Justice Aminu Adamu Augie, who delivered lead
judgment on the enchantment filed by Lau, difficult the
choice of the Court docket of Enchantment that had upturned his victory on the primaries performed by the Peoples Democratic Occasion (PDP) in 2014, held
that he was wrongfully substituted.
Different 4 members of the panel, headed by the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice
Walter Onneghen, unanimously agreed with the judgment, insisting that the appellant has the precise
to take part, identical to every other candidate
in the first and that if he feels his proper was infringed upon, he additionally has the appropriate
to strategy the courtroom.
The Panel added that: "From the totality of the enchantment earlier than this courtroom, all the problems are resolved in favour of the appellant. His substitution at the first election is null and void.
"Since the appellant scored the very best variety of votes, the one choice is to declare the appellant because the winner of primaries.
"This courtroom hereby orders that the appellant be issued with the Certificate of Return and the respondent ought to instantly vacate the seat.
"He ought to return to the Nationwide Meeting, all salaries and allowances obtained
as a senator inside ninety days.
The Courtroom of Attraction, Abuja Division, had dismissed the enchantment filed by Lau difficult the candidacy of Danladi because
the PDP flag bearer for the 2015 election on the account that nomination, sponsorship and substitution of candidate for election was a home affairs of a political celebration and that it
was exterior the jurisdiction of any courtroom.
The appellate courtroom held that as a court docket, it might impose candidate on a social gathering.
It additionally held that Alhaji Garba Umar, who abandoned his major election,
was validly nominated and his subsequent substitution with Danladi by PDP was in whole conformity with
the Electoral Act 2010, as amended.
However the apex court docket yesterday upturned that call when it held that the appellant, who contested the first in 2014, has the authorized proper to problem the choice of PDP,
significantly as Danladi didn't take part in the first.
Equally, within the second judgment ready by Justice Onnoghen and browse by Justice Augie, the Supreme Courtroom upheld the attraction filed by Mrs.
Mato in opposition to the choice of Court docket of Enchantment, Makurdi Division, which held that she was the winner of the overall election of held on March 28, 2015, for the constituency.
The courtroom ordered that Hembe be changed instantly with Mrs.
Mato, the winner of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Hembe, who was re-elected into the Home in 2015, was additionally ordered to
return all salaries and advantages collected whereas in workplace
inside ninety days.
The courtroom held that Mrs. Mato was the rightful winner of the APC ticket for the constituency.