TheNewsGuru

Tag: Kayode Fayemi

  • Fayose to Fayemi: Don’t celebrate yet

    Fayose to Fayemi: Don’t celebrate yet

    Ekiti State Governor, Ayo Fayose on Sunday told his predecessor and current Minister of Mines and Steel Development, Dr.Kayode Fayemi not to celebrate yet, describing Fayemi’s victory, at the rescheduled governorship primary of the All Progressives Congress held on Saturday, pyrrhic.

    Fayose thanked the APC delegates that picked Fayemi for doing him great favour, saying they had made his task and pain of defeating an APC candidate much easier with the choice of Fayemi as their candidate for the July 14 gubernatorial poll.

    In a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Idowu Adelusi, Fayose said the former Ekiti state governor’s victory has only positioned him to suffer a worse and more debilitating defeat than the one he dealt him in 2014.

    ” In 2014 when he was the sitting governor and I was not in power, I trounced him mercilessly. I gave him 16 – 0, defeating him in all the 16 local governments, including in his home town, Isan Ekiti, he did not win a single local government

    ” Now, I have been in power for more than three years and have served the people of Ekiti well. My legacy projects are there to speak for me, and for my party the PDP, as well as for our candidate in the July 14 governorship election, Prof. Kolapo Olusola-Eleka

    “I promise that Fayemi will suffer the worst defeat of his political career. after the July 14 election, he will not only suffer embarrassing defeat, he will go into political oblivion afterwards

    “He has nothing to celebrate because of the electoral disaster awaiting him. The manner of his so-called victory also leaves much to be desired as it has turned many of their party leaders and followers against him

    “ To those who may not know, Fayemi’s victory has made the condition of APC worse in Ekiti. The party leaders and members know that Fayemi has no use for any of them beyond the July 14 election”, Fayose said.

    He appealed to those he claimed were trampled by Fayemi, especially those of them who were members of PDP, to return “home”.

    ” PDP is your natural habitat. This is the time for you to escape from the APC’s sinking boat and return home to a rousing welcome. We also invite other politicians not satisfied with the parlous state of affairs of our nation to join hands with PDP to rescue our nation

    ” APC is falling apart everywhere, the party, which was dead before in Ekiti, has now been buried with Fayemi’s victory.

    ” Fayemi is the final nail on APC’s coffin in Ekiti. He may deceive them in Abuja but he is a paper weight at home. His arrogance alienates Ekiti people and any serious politician from him. He will meet his political waterloo on July 14”, Fayose boasted.

    As if second guessing the reaction of Fayose to his candidacy, Fayemi too last night issued a quit notice to Fayose and his candidate, Prof. Kolapo Olusola, saying that APC is about to purge the state of the bad reputation it has earned under Fayose’s stewardship.

    “We have seen a cynical approach to politics that exploits the penury of the poor and the vulnerability of the marginalised. We have seen the entrenchment of the disdain for elders, traditional institutions, and all forms of constituted authorities.

    “Instead of continuing the quest for freedom from ignorance, disease and want, what we have seen is a paradigm that deepens captivity to these ills. In short, the last four years has called into question all that we stand for as a people. The timeless values of honour, dignity, nobility and civility encapsulated in the Omoluabi ethos have been eroded”.

     

  • Fayemi declares interest in Ekiti guber poll

    Fayemi declares interest in Ekiti guber poll

    Former Ekiti state governor and current Minister of Mines and Steel Development, Dr Kayode Fayemi on Sunday says he will contest the July 14 gubernatorial election coming up soon in the state under the APC.

    He made his ambition known at a news conference at his Isan-Ekiti country home in Oye Local Government Area of the state.

    Fayemi had hosted leaders and scores of members of the party from all the 16 Local Government Areas and the 177 Wards of the state.

    He said he was driven by his past records of positive achievements, especially for workers, retirees and pensioners while in office in the state.

    He explained that his decision to seek re-election was to deliver the state from incompetent and dubious hands and take her to where its supposed to be.

    The former governor becomes the 35th person to formally indicate interest in the governorship poll in the APC alone, aside from dozen others whose campaign posters and billboards are already out on the streets without formal declaration.

    Fayemi said he would formally submit his letter of intent to the state secretariat of the APC as soon as the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) lifts ban on campaigns on April 15.

    On the issue of a White Paper, indicting him for corruption and consequently banned him from seeking public office for 10 years, Fayemi said he was not bothered.

    He declared that the said White Paper cannot stop his ambition, describing the document as final result of several months of political witchhunt launched against him by the Ayo Fayose-led administration that cannot stand the test of time.

    “Regardless of whatever anybody may think, I know I am eminently qualified to contest the election, if I am not qualified, I would never have come to tell you I want to contest.

    “Most of the negative things Fayose and his government said or alleged of me were deliberately concocted out of malice to either malign my character or score cheap political goal; but the truth will always prevail.

    “Same goes for the manipulated debt profile of the state which was a clear case of exaggeration and distortions.

    “Can you imagine, Fayose said he issued White Paper banning me from holding public office, but today, I am giving him red card. By the end of the gubernatorial poll exercise, we will know who is right between the two of us,” he said.

    The Minister vowed to dislodge Fayose and his deputy in the poll if picked at the May 5, 2018 gubernatorial primary of the party in Ado Ekiti.

    He advised other aspirants against divisive tendencies by their followers, stressing that whoever that eventually emerged from the coming primary must be embraced by all since the national secretariat of the party had promised that the whole exercise would be open, free and fair.

    He promised to use his second-term to correct all past mistakes and improve on the good ones, saying he had learnt his lessons since leaving office about four years ago as governor.

    Fayemi, therefore, asked all those he offended while in office as governor to forgive him, while also saying he had forgiven all those who erred against him, in the interest of the party.

    He warned Fayose not to attempt to remove or destroy his campaign posters and billboards the way his government was currently doing to some opposition posters.

    The minister was however silent on when he would be resigning his appointment as minister from the Federal Executive Council.

     

  • Alleged Probe: Fayose inaugurates panel to probe predecessor, Kayode Fayemi

    Governor Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti State on Monday inaugurated a judicial commission of enquiry to investigate allegations of fraud against his immediate predecessor, and current Minister for Steel and Minerals Resources Development, Kayode Fayemi.

    TheNewsGuru.com reports that this followed a resolution passed by the Ekiti State House Assembly some weeks ago, which directed the governor to pursue the investigations given that the minister failed to appear before the house when summoned the come and testify.

    The assembly had accused Fayemi of diverting funds belonging to the state Universal Basic Education Board while serving as governor of the state.

    But the minister denied any wrong doing, saying the house and the state government were out to tarnish his image.

    Fayemi had also derided the house for the call for his investigation, saying the case in question was before a court of law.

    Fayose, while constituting the panel in Ado Ekiti, explained that the move was in compliance with the resolution of the House of Assembly.

    “In compliance with the resolution of the State House of Assembly and pursuant to the powers conferred on Mr. Governor in section 2 of the Ekiti State Commission of Enquiry Cap C10 Laws of Ekiti State, 2012, His Excellency, Governor Peter Ayodele Fayose, has set up a Judicial Commission of Enquiry to look into the financial transactions of the state between 2010 and 2014,” the governor’s speech read on his behalf by the Secretary to State Government, Modupe Alade, said.

    TheNewsGuru.com reports that the commission is headed by retired Justice, Silas Oyewole, of the Ekiti State High Court.

    It has as its terms of reference, to ascertain how much Ekiti State Government received as statutory allocations during the period under review and how same were disbursed.

    The commission is also to “look into the financial transactions of Ekiti State between 2010 and 2014; ascertain the amount received on behalf of the State from the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC); investigate the allegations of fraud/loss of funds, including the diversion and conversion of the UBEC funds; ascertain the amount that the Ekiti State Government took as loans during the period under review and how they were utilized.”

    It was also mandated to consider all other issues relating to the finances of the Ekiti State Government within the period under review, and to make appropriate recommendations to the Ekiti State Government.

    “This is no witch-hunt because severally, the State House of Assembly, that is conferred with the power to look into the finances of the state, has invited former governor John Kayode Fayemi to clarify some issues bothering on the finances of the state such as the SUBEB funds which was mismanaged and others,” Mrs. Aladje said.

    “But despite having been invited for three times, he has refused to honour the invitation.

    “Since he has refused to do that, the governor, acting on the directives by the state Assembly and the powers conferred on him by the constitution, has set up this judicial Commission of Enquiry.”

    Ekiti State Attorney General, Owoseni Ajayi, said the setting up of the enquiry was in strict compliance with section two of the Ekiti State Law on the establishment of Judicial Commission of Enquiry.

    “Fortunately, this particular law was signed into Law in 2012 by Dr. Kayode Fayemi, which means it is an extant Law, a Law of the state and not intended to witch-hunt anybody,” he said.

    “The Commission is a fact finding one and there is no cause for anybody to be afraid of the proceedings of the Commission which is quasi-judiciary and would be in the open court and not hidden from anybody.”

    Ajayi assured that the principles of fair hearing would be upheld as all parties must be given a fair hearing in the proceedings.

    “It is not at all targeted at former governor Kayode Fayemi in person, but it is to find facts as to how the finances of the state were dispensed under that administration,” he said.

    “So, if anybody is called upon by that Commission, and served adequate notice through a medium by which they can be informed, and they abdicated their right to defend or present facts contrary to what is presented, then they will be taken as if they have abandoned their right of fair hearing and any judgement passed thereof would be binding on such persons.”

    Your panel, a waste of time, Fayemi fires back

    However, in a swift reaction, the Minister for Steel and Minerals Resources Development and former governor of the state, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, described the judicial commission inaugurated by his successor (Fayose) on Monday as “an exercise in futility”.

    Yinka Oyebode, Special Assistant on Media to the minister said in a statement that the governor’s action was at variance with the laws of the land which makes it subjudice for anyone to entertain a matter that is already before a court of competent jurisdiction.

    “It is obvious, Governor Fayose is desperate to probe the administration of his predecessor in office, Dr Kayode Fayemi, for personal vendetta. Yet, he is advised to be guided by the rule of law and decency in this wild goose chase.

    “The Governor and members of the panel are reminded that the two cases involving the House of Assembly, its leadership and top officials of the present administration are still pending In an Abuja High Court and a Federal High Court in Ado, thus making it an act of illegality for another panel to look into the matter.

    “The governor is advised to concentrate on the serious task of governance and refrain from shadow chasing which the current pursuit of personal vendetta through a kangaroo committee clearly represents,” he added.

  • JUST IN: Ekiti Assembly slams N1m fine on ex-gov, Kayode Fayemi

    JUST IN: Ekiti Assembly slams N1m fine on ex-gov, Kayode Fayemi

    The Ekiti State House of Assembly on Tuesday imposed a N1m fine on the immediate past governor of the state and current Minister of Mines and Steel Development, Dr. Kayode Fayemi.

    The Assembly slammed the Minister with the fine for failing to honour the three summons served on him.

    The decision to fine Fayemi was taken by the lawmakers at their plenary on Tuesday in Ado Ekiti, the state capital.

     

    Details Later…