Text of an address by Governor Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti State during the visit of Sultan Sa’ad Abubakar III to Ado-Ekiti for the turbanning of Alhaji Jamiu Kewulere.
I welcome our spiritual leader of the Muslim faith in Nigeria, who happens to be the first Sultan to visit Ekiti State and coincidentally in my time and tenure.
We thank you for supporting the investiture of our father and Muslim spiritual leader in Ekiti State, Alhaji Jamiu Kewulere who is a man well deserving of the position.
Your presence and visit portray hope for us all, particularly the
Muslim faith. You symbolize unity, truth and hope for a better
Nigeria. With your position as the Sultan, I am sure you are God’s
eye in Nigeria, and should be fearless, just and courageous enough to
defend the truth and the oppressed.
I take the opportunity of your visit to bare my mind on some national
concerns, particularly as it affects the unlawful incarceration of the
former National Security Adviser (NSA), Col Sambo Dasuki (rtd) .
President Buhari has proved me right by my claims before the election
that Nigeria is in the making of a dictator if he is voted into power.
By choosing which orders of the court to be obeyed, the President has
exhibited his great disdain and disrespect to the judiciary as an
independent arm of government and as the last hope of a common man.
The continuous siege on the residence of the former NSA against a court order is a clear manifestation of fundamental human rights abuse.
Regrettably, honourable men and women that are supposed to speak
against such infractions kept mute. A renowned philosopher, Edmund
Burke once said, “all that is necessary for the triumph of evil is
that good men do nothing.”
The current travail of the former NSA and the continuous siege on his
residence, despite a court order granting him permission to travel is
a sad development and a setback in the history of Nigeria. If the
President flouts court orders with impunity, judicial independence
will be fatally compromised and Nigeria’s embryonic democracy is a
great danger.
Of more importance and concern is the blackmail, intimidation and subtle harassment of lawyers and judges by the Buhari administration in an attempt to have innocent men convicted at all cost. The President has left nobody in doubt that the former NSA cannot get a fair hearing.
While we must all stand against corruption, it must be pursued within the dictates of the law.
We hereby call on the International community to support the
independent human rights observers who are not to monitor former NSA’s prosecution and trial, President Buhari should honour his vow to follow due process and the rule of law. The states are too high to remain silent.
