[size=18pt]Remove Ayoka now, Akeredolu, Sagay, others tell Jonathan [/size]


A former President of the Nigerian Bar Association, Mr. Rotimi Akeredolu (SAN) and two Senior Advocates of Nigeria, Prof. Itse Sagay and Mr. Kayinsola Ajayi have called for the removal of the Resident Electoral Commission of Ondo State, Mrs. Ayoka Adebayo.



_{Mrs Ayoka Adebayo, Resident Electoral Commissioner of Ekiti State}

Similarly, a Lagos-based lawyer, Mr. Wahab Shittu, said Adebayo did not have any moral authority to remain in the service of the Independent National Electoral Commission.

Adebayo had supervised the controversial Ekiti State governorship rerun election in April and May 2009 in which Peoples Democratic Party's candidate, Mr. Segun Oni, was declared winner.

The Court of Appeal in Ilorin had on Friday, however, nullified the victory of Oni and held that Dr. Kayode Fayemi of Action Congress of Nigeria was the duly elected governor of the state.

While nullifying Oni's victory, the court also faulted Ayoka's handling of the rerun election.

The lawyers in separate interviews with one of our correspondents in Lagos on Monday, insisted that since the appellate court had indicted Adebayo over the rerun, the President should remove her without further delay.

They added that the pronouncement of the appellate court on Fayemi's appeal showed that the REC should not be allowed to be part of any democratic processes, reminding the President that the retention of Adebayo was insensitive and insults to Nigerians.

Akeredolu said, "Since she failed to do the right thing, then she should bear the yoke, she should be removed. She knew that what she wanted to do was wrong, which was why she initially refused to announce the result."

For Sagay, "Adebayo is totally unfit for such a highly sensitive position. She has a weak character and is easily influenced. She is a Peoples Democratic mole, who is operating under the influence of former President Olusegun Obasanjo. She lacks any of the qualities for a job with the INEC, one of the errors Prof. Attahiru Jega made was to try to continue to defend her continued stay in INEC; She has a record of being so partisan because of her involvement with the PDP. If she can't resign honourably, then she should be sacked."

According to Ajayi, Adebayo deserved to be removed as a public officer because of the role she played during the rerun in Ekiti.

"But what about the other officials of INEC who collaborated with Adebayo to do the wrong thing," he asked.

On his part, Shittu said Adebayo had no moral authority to continue to conduct further elections.

He said, "She has no moral authority to continue to parade herself as REC or organising elections. She should be removed not just because the election was overturned, but because of the circumstances in which she declared the election results after giving indication that she was under pressure. She came back to announce the results after turning in her resignation letter, it is convenient to conclude that her integrity has been seriously questioned.

"In saner societies, those who engage in electoral malpractices are prosecuted, let's hope that our democracy will mature to that level and we will be able to hold to account those who perpetrate electoral fraud."

Meanwhile, a group known as The Positive Force has called for the prosecutrion of the former Chairman of INEC, Prof. Maurice Iwu, Adebayo and former InspectorGeneral of Police, Mr. Mike Okiro.

In a statement made available to journalists in Ado-Ekiti on Tuesday by its coordinator, Mr. Bola Ogundana, the group said that the October 15 verdict of the Court of Appeal which affirmed the election of Governor Fayemi had confirmed that these government officials were culpapble in the criminal rigging of election in the state.

Ogundana who also balmed the Minister ofInformation and Communications, Prof. Dora Akunyili and other prominentpoliticians said that they should be prosecuted for their roles in the controversial rerun governorship poll in Ekiti state.


http://odili.net/news/source/2010/oct/20/824.html

Infact, this is the best news I've heard all day.

How can a woman so ugly be so devious? Atleast have some good quality to cover up those ugliness.

And may God continue to lead Ekiti state in the right path, we want development and we SHALL get development. It starts my riding Ekiti state of ppl like Adebayo.

@poster,

Abeg this woman and obasanjo relate? She fine like am

Infact, this is the best news I've heard all day.

How can a woman so ugly be so devious? Atleast have some good quality to cover up those ugliness.
And may God continue to lead Ekiti state in the right path, we want development and we SHALL get development. It starts my riding Ekiti state of ppl like Adebayo.

One of the best thing many people is expecting GEJ is remove this idiot called Ayoka from INEC.This will go a long way in proving GEJ efforts of ensuring fair and free elections.Please GEJ remove Ayoka now.All eyes are on you to hear the news of her removal.Pls do.

If she is a PDP mole as suggested by Sagay, how do you expect a PDP Kingpin to now remove her?

Ayoka tried to stand up for what is right but was bullied by the PDP Government in Abuja using Police and SSS.

Please lets not villify that woman.

mikeansy:

Ayoka tried to stand up for what is right but was bullied by the PDP Government in Abuja using Police and SSS.

Please lets not villify that woman.

Mikeansy , the implications for our democracy , if Adebayo remains an active REC, is very clear . She will be "bullied" once again in Ondo State . We all know OBJ is close to Adebayo. The same OBJ has sworn to "capture" Ondo State . Is it not obvious what is going down here? There is a real doubt over Adebayo's ability to perfom her job. Whatever the truth , i.e wether she was bullied or a willing participant, in saner Countries Adebayo will never be posted to another State to perform the same role that saw her at the centre of an electoral crisis that involved Nigerians being denied their rights to vote for who they wan't . The dismissal of Oni is another nail in Adebayo's coffin. A neutral non-Nigerian would simply ask if we have run out of men and women who can be REC' Otherwise why insist on using the service of those who have being the cause of rancour and a judicial reversal of the result they announced? Even the Judge in the Fayemi v Oni appeal case came down heavily on Iwu and Adebayo. Adebayo is lucky not to be facing punishment. Her reward for a terrible job , as Ekiti REC, should certainly not be a posting to another State as REC.

It shouldn't stop at the removal of Ayoka.

All electoral officers found indicted in robbing the people of Ondo state of their rights and dividends of democracy should be arrested and convicted. . .that's the only way we can make meaningful steps towards an electoral process that is fair and just

Gbawe

For me the lesson from the Adebayo story is that the REC or INEC boss can not do it alone. When Ayoka Adebayo stood up for what was right, did anyone else stand up with her and say enough-is-enough?

If I remember it was 2 days between when that woman said her concience does not permit what was going on in Ekiti and when she was bullied out of hidding. If within those two days Nigerians filled the streets protesting and grounding the country in support of Mrs Adebayo, bullying her would not have been successful.

There are even claims that her only son was threatened or used to coerce her. So tell me are you saying the woman should not think twice when the safety of her only son was brought into the eqaution and yet Nigerians in general seemed unintrested with the happenings in Ekiti.

I personally think purnishing Ayoka Adebayo is encouraging those RECs who quietly support the Government of the day and swallow their own share of the loot in peace and carry on with life. What we should be doing is use her as a case study to understand what happened and how to stand by those INEC officials who want to stand up for what is right in the times of trouble from the Government.

mikeansy:

Gbawe

For me the lesson from the Adebayo story is that the REC or INEC boss can not do it alone. When Ayoka Adebayo stood up for what was right, did anyone else stand up with her and say enough-is-enough?

If I remember it was 2 days between when that woman said her concience does not permit what was going on in Ekiti and when she was bullied out of hidding. If within those two days Nigerians filled the streets protesting and grounding the country in support of Mrs Adebayo, bullying her would not have been successful.

There are even claims that her only son was threatened or used to coerce her. So tell me are you saying the woman should not think twice when the safety of her only son was brought into the eqaution and yet Nigerians in general seemed unintrested with the happenings in Ekiti.

I personally think purnishing Ayoka Adebayo is encouraging those RECs who quietly support the Government of the day and swallow their own share of the loot in peace and carry on with life. What we should be doing is use her as a case study to understand what happened and how to stand by those INEC officials who want to stand up for what is right in the times of trouble from the Government.

good reasoning!