An Ado-Ekiti High Court yesterday struck out a suit
by the All Progressives Congress (APC) challenging the composition of the State Independent Electoral Commission (SIEC). The dismissal has cleared the way for the local government elections scheduled to hold on Saturday.

The APC claimed that the SIEC Chairman, Justice
Kayode Bamisile (rtd) and other members were
card-carrying members of the Peoples Democratic
Party (PDP) and associates of Governor Ayo
Fayose.

The opposition said allowing them to conduct the
election would not allow for free and fair local
government poll.
Justice Bamidele Omotoso dismissed the suit for
lacking merit and held that the claimants failed to
prove its case beyond reasonable doubt.

Justice Omotoso held that the claimants failed in
their claim probing the retirement of Justice
Bamisile and failed to attach necessary evidence.
The court also viewed the conflicting evidence
before it and considered the issue of who is the
PDP secretary immaterial to the case.

The judge described the plaintiff as INTERLOPERS and
BUSYBODIES , who were crying louder than the
BEREAVED.
He said the allegations were spurious because the
plaintiff’s counsel missed the point through his
argument.


But the APC said the verdict was an indication that
the Ekiti judiciary was going through a trying
period and under Fayose’s alleged brutality.
In a statement by its Publicity Secretary, Taiwo
Olatunbosun, the opposition expressed shock that
the judge allegedly brushed aside what it called
‘incontrovertible evidence’ that members of SIEC
were bonafide members of PDP.


The APC said: “The Ekiti temple of justice is going
through a trial period under a government that has
done all outside the law to muscle and subdue the
judiciary.

“APC sympathises with the judiciary and Ekiti
people at this moment. The judge is partial in his
submissions, which evidently stood law and logic
on its head.


“We are witnessing a constitutional somersault in
Ekiti under the maximum rule of Fayose and the
judiciary, which is supposed to be the hope of the
hopeless in ensuring strict compliance to the rule
of law, is in fearful alliance with the governor.


“The party will appeal the judgment since we know
it cannot stand the judicial efficiency and legal
scrutiny of the appellate court

“We will not allow the charade called SIEC to
stand. We maintain that the composition of Ekiti
SIEC did not follow the due process and the law.
“We call on the National Judicial Council (NJC) to
beam its searchlight on Ekiti State Judiciary to
probe the quality of judgments by the judges
before Ekiti people are turned victims of injustice in
the hands of judicial officials.”









Source: The Nation

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