Ekiti State Governor, Mr Ayodele Fayose, has called on the National Judicial Council (NJC) to probe the Taraba State governorship election tribunal judgement, sacking the State Governor, Darius Ishaku, saying “such judicial rascality and conspiracy displayed in Taraba State must not be allowed to go unquestioned.”
He said from the Taraba State judgment and others involving the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), it appeared there were different laws being applied to similar cases by the election tribunal, adding: “Even when a judge has to exercise his discretion in a matter before him, such discretion must be exercised judicially and judiciously.”
In a statement signed by his Special Assistant on Public
Communications and New Media, Lere Olayinka, Governor Fayose
maintained that “instead of calling for Fayose’s head that they can
never get, the judiciary must, in the interest of democracy and rule of law, purge itself of cash and carry judges that are daily giving tainted and contradictory judgments.”
The governor, who said even though parties to the case have the option
of appeal up to the Supreme Court, added that those who truncated
democracy in Nigeria through military coup must not be allowed to
truncate democracy again through manipulation of a section of the
judiciary and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
He said; “There are no gods in the judiciary and if Ghana, a smaller
country could suspend 22 judges over bribery allegation and probed 12
others, the NJC must not play ostrich to these Salamic judgements being
delivered by tribunal judges.
“Those judges, who gave the Taraba State judgment, which is totally
against the Electoral Act 2010 (as amended) and the one who took N15
million bribe in Yobe State must be investigated by the NJC.”
While also accusing INEC of being part of the conspiracy against the
PDP, the governor wondered why the commission did not raise any
objection to Governor Ishaku’s participation in the election when his
name was submitted as PDP candidate, only for the commission to now
cook up report against the PDP at the tribunal.
“There are serving governors and senators in this country, who took
part in the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential primary
election. After failing to pick the APC presidential ticket, their
names surfaced as gubernatorial and senatorial candidates of APC in
their respective states. Can INEC tell Nigerians when it took part in
the process that produced those senators and governors as APC
candidates?
“There are also those who left PDP to become APC candidates, can INEC
tell Nigerians where the primary elections that produced them were
held?
“This double-standard and conspiracy from INEC and a section of the
judiciary against the PDP must stop because it is becoming more
obvious that those who used the military to truncate democracy in 1983
are out to use a section of the judiciary to truncate our hard earned
democracy.”
