A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and a governorship aspirant, Hon Bamidele Faparusi, has described the newly constituted judicial panel set up by Governor Fayose to try his predecessor as not only a predetermined and well orchestrated attempt to ridicule President Muhammadu Buhari, but targeted at smearing the personality of Dr Kayode Fayemi.
Faparusi , who harped on the need for Governor Fayose to be cautious of the security implications of the exercise, warned that any attempt to expose Fayemi to public opprobrium will be resisted by APC members in Ekiti and beyond .Sequel to allegations of financial impropriety allegedly committed under Fayemi’s administration, Fayose had on Monday constituted a judicial panel, led by former Acting Chief Judge of the State, Justice Silas Oyewole to probe the immediate past government.In a statement in Ado Ekiti, on Tuesday, Faparusi said the timing of this probe, coming at a time the parties were already scrambling for the governorship poll slated for 2018 signaled that it was a mere political contrivance being used to distract their party . Faparusi hinted that it stands common sense on its head for a Governor , who was supposed to be preoccupied with how to solve the litany of hydra-headed problems pummeling the state, like non-payment of salaries and the daunting youth unemployment to get entangled with such a political misadventure.
He said: “The timing of setting up the panel has shown that it is in bad faith with a dual motive to smear Fayemi’s reputation and deride his achievements to cover-up Fayose’s shameful performance. Ekiti people are much wiser now to be able to discern his highly endemic deceptive antics.
“What has Fayose and his bunch of illiterate assembly been doing for the past three years before waking from their deep slumber to know that Fayemi must be probed? Fayose is gradually turning Ekiti into a huge laboratory where all sorts of political experiments, shoddy ones for that matter are being practicalised.
“The only positive side to his action is that he has succeeded to set a template and precedence through which his numerous criminal and financial crimes will be immediately beamed to the world after his exit. The APC will not tarry in setting up its own mock 21 –man judicial panel of enquiry to receive and begin compilation of his fraudulent actions with the hope of sending him to jail in no time after leaving office”.
On the governor’s intention to seek redress in court over possible extension of his tenure beyond 2018 on account of his impeachment in 2006, Faparusi said such could only exist in the wildest imagination of a theatric like Fayose, who sees governance as a comic relief, rather than a serious business.
Faparusi clarified that the Supreme Court in case of Muritala Nyako Vs FG ruled that a governor whose tenure was abruptly terminated via illegal impeachment can only be entitled to the perks of office throughout the time there was a vacancy and not tenure elongation.“The governor should have known that he cannot be entitled to third term in office, neither can the oath of office be administered on him three times. What former Governor Nyako wanted to achieve was to finish the remaining nine months of his second term tenure before he was ousted and the Supreme Court was so unequivocal that since that dispensation had lapsed, he could only be entitled to the benefits and that has become a functus officio as far as this case is concerned.
“Governor Fayose should refrain from wasting the precious time of thecourt by wanting to engage in mere academic exercise that has no legal fecundity, having been earlier determined by the apex court”, Faparusi concluded.
