NJC should probe
Ekiti judiciary crises -
Fayose#
Ekiti State Governor-
elect, Mr. Ayodele
Fayose, has called
on the National
Judicial Council to
investigate the
allegation levelled
against him that he
was involved in the
beating of a serving
judge in the state.
He said the
investigation would
open what he
described as cans of
worms in the state
judiciary.
Fayose said it would
be wrong for
Nigerians to rely on
what he said they
were being fed by
the members of the
opposition, the All
Progressives
Congress on the
issue.
In a subdued voice,
Fayose said he was
begging the NJC to
look at all issues at
stake
dispassionately
and be guided by
the truth.
Fayose, who spoke
with journalists in
Abuja on Monday,
said all the news
aboutnhis causing
troubles in the
state was just a
part of what he
described as a grand
plan by the APC to
cause crisis in the
state with a view
to preventing his
inauguration come
October 16.
He said, “What I’m
saying, is that the
National Judicial
Council should launch
a thorough probe of
the happenings in
Ekiti State judiciary
and through that,
the rot in the
system will be
exposed.
“A lot of things are
happening there and
there are signs that
some judicial
officers are
conniving with the
outgoing governor,
Dr. Kayode Fayemi
and the APC.
“The current crisis
is an agenda of the
APC and their sole
aim is to try and get
through the back
door what the
people of the state
did not give them on
June 21 when they
voted
overwhelmingly for
me and the Peoples
Democratic Party.”
He said as a former
governor and a
responsible person,
there was no way
he could have raised
his hand to beat a
judge, adding that
he was not even
capable of beating a
house help.
Fayose said he was
being portrayed in
bad light in order to
create the
impression that he
is bad person.
He said, “I did not
and cannot slap a
judge. I cannot slap
a house boy(sic) let
alone a High Court
Judge, and I have
utmost respect for
judicial officers.
“The media
propaganda that I
beat up a judge is
an APC agenda to
portray me in bad
light having failed to
take my mandate
through the back
door.
“The Ekiti State
Attorney General
Wale Fapounda has
disclosed that he
has spoken with
the judge in
question, and he
spoke on Sunrise
programme on
Saturday morning
on Channels TV
where he made it
clear that the news
that I slapped the
Judge was all lies.
“I did not enter
Justice John
Adeyeye’s court
because I had no
business to
transact there. The
Tribunal venue,
where I went to, is
quite a distance
from Adeyeye’s
court. Then the
pertinent question
is, at what point did
I meet him?
“Is it that the Judge
left his courtroom
with his robe to
face so called
protesters?
Investigation will
reveal all these.”
He said up till now,
nobody has been
able to provide
photo or video
evidence that I
slapped the judge,
adding that there
was no way I would
succumb to
blackmail and
surrender the
mandate that was
freely given to me
by the people of the
state.
The Governor elect
noted that PDP
leaders were aware
of the various
petitions written to
the NJC by APC
leaders in Ekiti,
saying investigation
would reveal the
truth.
He also stated that
the actions and
utterances of
Governor in recent
times showed a
collaboration
between him and
some judicial
officers.
He said, “For the
information of all, I
am openly
expressing my
readiness to appear
before the
committee to be
set up by the NJC
even after I must
have been
swornbin, to testify
on the issue if need
be.
“The whole issue I
can say with all
intent was part of a
grand plan by the
APC to cause
mayhem and
through it, install
the Speaker of the
Ekiti State House of
Assembly as Acting
Governor which the
people of Ekiti has
seen through, and
are
ready to stop at all
cost.”