Fayemi Is Plotting To Stop Fayose’s Swearing-in; PDP Petitions CJN

The Ekiti State Chief Judge, Justice Ayodeji Daramola has been accused by the Peoples Democratic Party of plotting with Governor Kayode Fayemi to stop the  inauguration of Governor-elect, Mr Fayose.

The party made the allegation in a letter to the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Mariam Aloma-Mukhtar.

The letter titled, “Another judicial coup plotted to avert the swearing in of the governor-elect of Ekiti State,” was signed by the state Secretary of the   PDP, Dr. Tope Aluko and the   Publicity Secretary, Kola Oluwawole.

But Fayemi described the allegation as another tissue of lies by the PDP.He therefore challenged the PDP in the state to prove its allegation.

In the letter the PDP claimed that it was aware of plans  by Daramola to give accelerated hearing to some suits challenging the eligibility of Fayose for the June 21 governorship election despite the notice of appeal and the stay of proceedings filed in respect of the suits.

Fayose had challenged the assumption of jurisdiction by Justice Olusegun Ogunyemi of an Ado-Ekiti High Court on the matter. He   also sought a stay of proceedings on the hearing of the substantive suit.

The   letter to the CJN read, “On   September 28, 2014, the governor-elect of Ekiti State personally wrote a letter to you,   raising fears about the attempts of the CJ of Ekiti State to frustrate his inauguration.

“This was done in view of Section 185 (2) of the 1999 Constitution   (as amended), which empowers only the CJ of Ekiti State to inaugurate the governor-elect as the new governor of the state, as Ekiti State presently has no Grand Khadi of the Sharia Court of Appeal, or the President of the Customary Court of Appeal that can perform similar function, in case the Chief Judge decline to do so.

“To our knowledge, you are yet to react to that letter. Meanwhile, we are authoritatively informed of another desperate move to obtain a “black market injunction” from an Ekiti State High Court, restraining the CJ from inaugurating the governor-elect on   October 16, 2014.


“Our source authoritatively informed us that the E-11 case in suits   HAD/51/2014 and HAD/52/2014 are to be given accelerated hearing between Wednesday, 8/10/14 and Friday, 10/10/14, or thereabout, in a way that a “black market injunction” will be secured to restrain the CJ from inaugurating the governor-elect, after the court might have been re-opened following the NJC directive.

“The outgoing governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, and Justice Daramola had finalised arrangement to actualise this diabolical plan.”

The PDP therefore called on the CJN to call Daramola to order and allow due process to be followed in all the cases before his court.

It said, “These two cases or any other case that may be concocted are not time bound or perishable items that injunction would be necessary to preserve ex-parte or otherwise, before the swearing-in of the governor-elect on October 16,2014.’’

“The law allows appeal from one court of first instance to the Supreme Court. Why before the inauguration?

“There is no doubt that this dangerous game if allowed to germinate into fruition will cause a constitutional crisis, and indeed, anarchy in the already volatile state.”

But the state Commissioner for Information, Tayo Ekundayo, said it was another lie by the PDP.

He said, “We don’t control the judiciary. The three arms of government have their role to play without interference. I do not know how the governor will ask the CJ to scuttle the inauguration. It is not in our character.

“The PDP has been telling a lot of lies, accusing us of so many things. There is nothing they have said in the last three months that is true. It is just another of their lies. We are not in any discussion with the CJ on how he runs the judiciary.”