FAYOSE: THE FALL AND TRIUMPH OF A GENERAL

In the words of William Shakespeare, a
veteran writer and author of the blessed
memory, the wisest warrior is the one
who run away to re-oil his weaken
artillery whenever he perceives being
overpowered by superior enemies at war
front. That is, a foolish warrior is the one
that stays at war front to continue fighting
a battle that is obvious he cannot win.

Retreating from a battle that one knows
he could not win is not an act of coward; it
is the smartest way to success. A run
away warrior of yesterday who resurface
at war front today to continue from
where he stops would be remembered
for intelligence and success while an
arrogant warrior that was foolishly
defeated at war front would be known for
imprudence.

On October 16 2006, Ayodele, the scion of
Fayose’s dynasty of Afao-Ekiti ran away
from political war front in Ekiti State
having smell defeat in the hands of his
political enemies.
God entrusted the sovereignty of Ekiti
people into Fayose’s hands in May 2003 to
be distributing the fruits of democratic
governance to his people but he was
controversially and unconstitutionally
impeached in 2006 via the conspiracy of
Ekiti Elites and a Retired General from
Ogun State.

A recap of his political journey will suffice,
nobody knew Fayose until he stormed the
political firmament of Ekiti State in year
2000 like a thief walking in the night. The
then incumbent Governor, Otunba ‘Niyi
Adebayo had not spent a year in office
when Fayose stormed Ekiti with the
inscription “Who is Fayose?” pasted in all
the nooks and crannies of the state.

Affirmatively, the question on the lips of
every conscious Ekiti people then was
who truly Fayose is? The Elites of Ekiti
State considered him as a tenderfoot,
neophyte and tyro and therefore was
never taken serious. But within a twinkle
of an eye, he had became the talk of the
town. From the North, to the South, East
and West of Ekiti, Fayose's ambition was
the major point of political discourse.

He defeated Chief S.K Babalola who was
the candidate strongly supported by then
President, Olusegun Obasanjo and the
Elites in his party, the People’s Democratic
Party (PDP) at the governorship primaries.

Also, Governor Adebayo never took him
serious until the results of the
governorship election were announced in
favour of Fayose.
Meanwhile, Fayose had not spent three
months in office when some people who
considered themselves as Ekiti
intelligentsia declared a maneuver war
fare against him. His integrity was roundly
bashed and massacred in the media by
the opposition. In fact, some people
outside Ekiti State considered relating
with Fayose as a height of immorality.

An Ekiti born Senior Advocate of Nigeria,
Femi Falana, according to news reports,
single-handedly submitted seventy three
petitions against Fayose at the Economic
and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
A state reputed as Fountain of Knowledge
and Land of Honour was turned to an
Egypt by Fayose’s political foes.

Conversely, after many twists and turns, a
general was defeated at the battle field.
On October 16 2003, Fayose was illegally
impeached by the members of the state
House of Assembly over offences that he
had earlier been vindicated over by the
panel constituted by the state Chief Judge,
Justice Kayode Bamisile.
Fayose was vilified and found guilty by a
panel constituted by an unknown Judge,
Justice Jide Aladejana who was unlawfully
appointed by the state House of Assembly
as Chief Judge of the state to investigate
Fayose.

Fayose was sent out of Oke Bareke
government House, Ado-Ekiti via a civilian
coup that was strongly supported by the
Nigerian bourgeoisies. And to further
compound his problems, Fayose was
declared wanted by the EFCC after his
impeachment for sleaze, gross
misconduct and mal-administration.

Oh! A general fell at war front though he
was not captured! His enemies jubilated
while the poorest of the poor in Ekiti
wailed. He ran for his dear life when he
was defeated by the warriors of the earth
to re-oil his weapons. He went on a self-
imposed exile in only God knows land.

For 15 months, nobody knew his where
about. His political hibernation was the
talk of the town when he was invincible.
His foes called him a coward not knowing
that he went on exile to re invent, re-plan
and re-strategize.

On December 8th 2007, the missing
general re-surfaced on the streets of Ado-
Ekiti. The news of Fayose’s appearance
spreads across the 120 towns and villages
of Ekiti State and outside the shore of the
state and the country within ten minutes.

He was welcomed by all and sundries
across political divides. A few days after
re-appearing, he submitted himself for
investigation and prosecution at EFCC
office in Ikoyi, Lagos. Third day after
visiting EFCC, he became a guest at Ikoyi
prison.

He spent the Christmas and New Year
yuletide of year 2007 at Ikoyi maximum
prison on the order of Justice Abubakar
of the Federal High Court sitting in Lagos.
He was set free after spending 21 days in
the cage of the almighty Goliaths of the
nation of Nigeria. An attempt to further
incarcerate him for trump up charges of
murderer in January 2008 was rejected
by the people of Ekiti who stood against
the move.
He left prison and joined the masses on
the streets of Ekiti who were fighting
against the illegal government of Engineer
Segun Oni that was imposed on Ekiti
people in year 2007 by Obasanjo. Fayose
openly declared his support for Oni’s
challenger, kayode Fayemi.

After over two years of a titanic battle, the
alliance between Fayose and Fayemi
sacked Oni from government. Then, Ekiti
people were happy that the saviours had
arrived from Canaan land.
Fayose was expecting to be incorporated
into Fayemi’s government but he got what
he never bargained for. He was rejected
by those he helped enthroned. He
declared interest in the senatorial seat of
Ekiti Central in year 2011 but his once
upon a time political friends used the
instrumentality of power and money to
rubbish him at the polls. Fayose was
defeated again.

For the second time within a decade,
Fayose went on political exile. For six
months, nobody read nor heard from
Fayose. Nonetheless, he came out again
stronger. He went back to re-unite with
his party members, the PDP to re-build
their then shattered house in Ekiti.
He was confronted by enemies within his
party and conquered. In less than six
months, he took over the structure of his
party in Ekiti. Above all expectations, he
was granted a waiver by his party to run
for elective positions.

On March 27 2014, Fayose won the ticket
of his party to run for Ekiti governorship
seat for the second term. Just like in his
first term, nobody took him serious when
he declared his ambition to re govern
Ekiti State. He won the primaries of his
party against all odds and traps set for
him by enemies within and outside his
party.

On June 21 2014, the elitist government of
Fayemi was democratically and lawfully
dethroned at the polls by a populist.
Fayemi who had spent all his days in
government formulating and
implementing elitist polices looked back
and he could not see the members of his
class. The Elites could not leave the
comfort of their hotel suites to queue on
the sun. Only the commoners came to
judgment and they voted to restore their
man back to government.

Ekiti people voted Ayo Fayose again to
resume from where he stops in 2006.
They voted for a leader that is high in
ideas and lowly at heart. He overwhelmly
triumphed in all the sixteen local
government areas of the state.
His political foes publicly congratulated
him after defeating them at the polls not
knowing that they had plans to ensure
that he’s not inaugurated. He was dragged
to a court of competent jurisdiction in
order to stop his inauguration on the
allegation that he was not qualified to run
for the seat that he won on June 21 2014
having been impeached in 2006.

Fayose sent his legal luminaries to court
to defend himself. Meanwhile, as the suit
lingers, issues surfaces. When angry Ekiti
people saw the suit slammed against
Fayose as an opportunity to steal their
mandate, they brazenly invaded the
temple of court on September 26 2014
and set their man free. What a sad
occurrence!

On October 16 2014, Fayose was
inaugurated for another term. He was
sworn in for another term of four years
but another trouble started within five
weeks of his assumption of office. A battle
of supremacy ensued between Fayose
and the opposition dominated members
of the state House of Assembly.

The war saw the seven members of the
house that are loyal to Fayose impeaching
their Speaker, Adewale Omirin who
enjoyed and still enjoy the support of the
remaining nineteen members of the
house. The seven members loyal to
Fayose took over the house whilst the
remaining nineteen sent themselves on a
self-imposed political exile.

However, the nineteen anti-Fayose
members resumed on April 2nd 2015
after almost four months on exile to
commence an impeachment proceeding
against Fayose. They resurfaced after the
victory of General Mohamadu Buhari of
their party, the All Progressives Congress
(APC) at the March 28 presidential
election.
The impeachment plots caused a violent
unrest in Ekiti. A young man, Temitope
Olaiya lost his live in the process. On April
11th, Ekiti people went to polls again to
deliver their judgment against the anti-
Fayose lawmakers. All the 26 assembly
seats were won by Fayose’s men.

On April 14th 2015, a lingering case that
started at the Election Petition Tribunal in
Ado-Ekiti through to appellate Court
seeking for the nullification of Fayose’s
victory on June 21 2014 on the allegation
that he was not qualified to run for any
public position having been impeached in
2006 was decided at the Supreme Court in
favour of Fayose.

The Apex court rules that Fayose was
never impeached in year 2006 because
the Chief Judge who constituted the panel
that found the Governor guilty of
impeachable offences was an
impersonator and therefore, any function
carried out by the panel is null and void.
The cloudy atmosphere that had
beclouded Ekiti ever since the forceful exit
of Fayose on October 16, 2006 was finally
blown away by the Supreme Court on
April 14, 2015.

The Judge who was the pawn used by
desperate politicians to circumvent the
mandate freely given to Fayose by the
people of Ekiti in 2006 remained
suspended till date by the National
Judicial Council (NJC) for gross mis-
conduct.

The fall and triumph of Fayose is a lesson
to all politically inclined young souls. No
matter how long, light will always triumph
over darkness.

Copyright: MAA

Barcanista falconey





Cc seun afam4eva maclatunji lalasticlala please do the needful

A role model for all naija youths to emulate
Long live baba fayose
D jagaban of yoruba race
D voice of d people is d voice of God


Cc: lalasticlala seun ishilove emusmith OAM4J

Long live Fayose Government

A great man indeed. He is the light of Ekiti people.. I love him for one thing..

Kennykenty:
A great man indeed. He is the light of Ekiti people.. I love him for one thing..

And may I know that 'one thing'?

Bullshit!

People can now see d different btw obj & Jonathan. The institutions obj destroyed during his reign now being repositioned by Jonathan, opposition has benefited from it this is through free electoral process & now fayose through independence of judiciary. If haters like it or not Jonathan remain d father of modern day democracy in Nigeria.

Fayose is such an inspiration, the real Lion of Ekiti.