Ekiti State Government Releases Statement On Moji Olaiya's Burial (See Here)

Ekiti State Government has explained why it has yet to respond to requests to help fund the repatriation of the remains of Nollywood Actress, Moji Olaiya from Canada to Nigeria.

In a statement issued on Monday, Special Assistant to Governor Ayodele Fayose on Public Communications and New Media, Lere Olayinka said the claim that Ekiti State refused to assist with the flying of Olaiya’s corpse to Nigeria for burial was totally false.

While maintaining that there was no official communication between the governor and Moji Olaiya’s family on the issue of assistance, Olayinka disclosed that: “On Thursday, last week, I was contacted on phone by a journalist friend, Yomi Fabiyi on the need for the Ekiti State Government to assist in raising a sum of $15,000 needed to bring Moji Olaiya’s corpse to Nigeria.

“My immediate response was that an official request, via a letter should be made and that the letter will be presented to the governor. I gave him my email address to which I said the letter should be sent.

“On Friday, I informed the Chief of Staff to the governor, Chief Dipo Anisulowo of my telephone conversation with Yomi Fabiyi, and my response that official letter should be written to the governor.

“Up till today, the letter has not been sent and as such, no official request has been made to the State Government.

“When my attention was drawn to online publications that Governor Fayose had elected to fund the flying of the deceased corpse to Nigeria, I called the journalist who did the report and told him pointedly that no such decision was taken by the governor.

“It was on the strength of this that Mr Yomi Fabiyi issued a press statement on behalf of the Burial Committee, stating that no request had been made to the government of Ekiti State and the official letter requested was yet to be sent.

“It therefore, beats our imagination that certain character like Olukayode Salako could take to the online media to make derogatory comments on the governor, purportedly on behalf of the family.

"It Is God's Will That I Will Become President Of Nigeria One Day" - Fayose

Governor of Ekiti state, Mr Ayodele Fayose, while speaking in Ado Ekiti with some journalists on Saturday night declared that he will rule Nigeria as a president in future.

The governor made this revelation at an Annual Media Get-Together, held at the Government House, Ado-Ekiti that the revelation about becoming a future Nigerian leader was made known to him by God.

“It is according to God’s will that I will one day become the president of Nigeria

“Do not bother to ask me questions as to how this will materialise, I also do not know how it will happen but all I know is that I shall one day occupy the presidential villa, not as a visitor but as president

He claimed to be in the good book of most Nigerians, whom he said would always be ready to make God’s plans for him come to pass at the appointed time.

He announced on the occasion that he would use his position as chairman of PDP governors forum to correct many ills of the society as well as fight the cause of the poor masses.

He also told the gathering that the anti-graft body, EFCC had again re-freeze his accounts personal accounts domiciled with Zenith Bank, in defiance to the court order made last month.

Court Sacks Makarfi/fayose Backed Ekiti Pdp State EXCO

The Ahmed Makarfi-led faction of Ekiti state chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) State Working Committee was yesterday sacked by a Federal High Court sitting in Ado Ekiti.

The court ruled that Mr. Williams Ajayi

–led faction, being allegedly bankrolled Mr Buruji Kashamu remains the authentic chairman of the party in the state.

It derecognised the faction led by Barr. Gboyega Oguntuase which enjoys the backing and support of Governor Ayodele Fayose

In suit number FCH/AD/CS/21/2015 filed on May 16, 2016, Ajayi had urged the court to recognise his faction congresses conducted in all the 177 wards, 16 local governments and the state on April 30 and 4th and 5th May, 2016, respectively.

While seeking an order declaring the Oguntuase’s faction as an impostor and an order directing the Independent National Electoral Commission(INEC ) to grant him and his executive recognition, the plaintiff also urged the court to pronounce him the authentic Chairman of the party.

Joined in the suit were: INEC(1st respondent), PDP(2nd respondent), Ali Modu Sheriff(3rd respondent),Prof Wale Oladipo (4th) and Gboyega

Oguntuase (5th respondent).

Delivering his judgement, Justice Taiwo Taiwo said the motion on notice pending at the appeal court over attempt by the 2,3,4 and 5th respondents to change their lawyer and appointed Chief Mike Ozekhome(SAN), as the lead counsel was not enough to delay the delivery of the judgement.

Lawyer to the respondents, Mr. Bimpe Olatemiju, had called the attention of the court to a letter dated January 19, 2017 and deposited with the Registrar of the court to the effect that the court should set aside the proceeding of December 8, 2016, when the written addresses were adopted and the need to stay action on the court’s proceeding pending the determination of the motion on notice at the appellate court filed against the October 12, 2016 ruling of the court.

The ruling was delivered against the 2,3,4,5th respondents on their request to appoint Ozekhome as their lead counsel.

Justice Taiwo said: ”Apolitical party must operate within certain guidelines and when there is a crisis of this nature in a party, we use the party’s constitution and the 1999 constitution to remedy the constitution”, citing the case of Ugwu Vs PDP to substantiate this claim.

He added further: “It is not in dispute that 2,3,4,5 respondents were jointly represented, and not in dispute that 2 and 3 are members of the PDP . It is not also in dispute that 3rd and 4th respondents were still acting as the chairman and National Secretary.

“So, going by the PDP’s guidelines, the power to conduct congresses at the wards, local governments and state levels can only be directed by NWC and since these people were still in charge at that time, any other directive or parallel congress by any other body is null and void”, Justice Taiwo ruled.

Earlier, there was a fierce exchange of words between the Judge and the respondents’ counsel over the perceived attempt to arrest the

judgement.

When the court has set for the delivery of the judgement, Olatemiju said the court can’t proceed because of the pending case at the appeal, which Justice Taiwo had objected by maintaining a position that the 1999 constitution forbids arrest of judgement and that this case would not be an exemption.

However, the judge later listened to Olatemiju’s argument and the averment of Plaintiff’s lawyer, Mr Niran Owoseeni after which he rose and came back to dismiss the argument to give way for the delivery of his judgement.

When Olatemiju sought the court’s permission to leave before the judgement was delivered, Justice Taiwo order him to sit down, threatening to report him to the Nigeria Bar Association’s Ethics and Privileges Committee should he refuse his directive.

Reacting to the jugement, Oguntuase said : “We will appeal the judgment. I plead with all the PDP members in the state to remain calm. In that judgement, I saw humour and I didn’t see honour and candour.

“How will you call yourself a Chairman when the governor is not behind you, when all the National Assembly members and state assembly lawmakers are not behind you? So, this is not the last court”, he said.

I Will Make Sure PDP Takes Over Power From Buhari In 2019 – Fayose Vows

The Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose, has vowed to ensure that the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, takes over power from the President Muhammadu Buhari-led Federal Government.

Fayose made the remark, shortly after his counterpart from Bayelsa State, Seriake Dickson announced him as the new Chairman of the PDP governors’ forum, on Friday in Abuja.

Speaking on his new role, Fayose said he accepted the responsibility to work as chairman of the Forum.

The governor promised to work with stakeholders, including the National Assembly, to restore the glory of the PDP.

According to Fayose, “I take this responsibility at a time the party needs somebody to stand up. I am sure you all know that we will do it to represent Nigerians well.

“It is a call to pull the walls of Jericho down; it is a call to make a difference.

“I want to assure you that within the next few months, the mobilisation, the consultation will be so effective and there will be a new beginning for our party – different and enriching.

“I will take over from where he stopped. Come 2019, we will take over again; we are going to come back again.”

Earlier, Dickson while making the announcement said, “As an integral part of the discussion, the governors of our party, among ourselves, as well as those who were unavoidably absent, unanimously appointed a new PDP Governors’ Forum Chairman.

“In line with the tradition of our party, we agreed to appoint our colleague, the most senior governor in PDP, Ayodele Fayose, the governor of Ekiti as new Chairman of the PDP Governors’ Forum.

“You are all aware that he is a committed party man, doing a wonderful job in his state. He is well experienced and committed to the ideals of our party.

If A Nobody Contests Against Buhari In 2019, Buhari Will Lose – Fayose

Ekiti State Governor, Mr Ayodele Fayose, has said Nigerians don’t need counselling to reject the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) during the 2019 general elections in the country, saying the abysmal performance of the party has already made the people grow weary of it.

This is just as the governor noted that there is a wide difference in the tolerance levels of former President Goodluck Jonathan and the incumbent, Muhammadu Buhari.

He stated this in Ado-Ekiti during an interactive session with some journalists.

According to a press release by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr Idowu Adelusi, on Wednesday, he quoted the governor as saying that nearly two years of leading the country, the APC and President Buhari, had made life worse for the people rather than improving their lots.

‎”Nigeria of our dream is not what we see now‎. What I said about President Buhari are coming to pass. Before the polls, I said people should not vote for him.‎ Nigerians are hungry and they are regretting. If a nobody contests against Buhari in 2019, Buhari will lose‎. ‎Nigerians don’t need counselling to know that they should not vote Buhari in 2019.‎ It is obvious.

“Majority of those who voted for him never really knew him as they were mostly in their 40s, people who were toddlers when he ruled Nigeria as a military man in the 80s. Also, ‎he is vindictive and apart from military nature, he does not have what it takes to run Nigeira.‎ His government then was run by Idiagbon.

“He is also not tolerant. You can’t compare him with Dr Goodluck Jonathan. ‎Jonathan‎ accepted defeat in an election he conducted,” he stated.

On the allegation of corruption against the PDP-led government, Fayose opined that those making such today would also have their books scrutinized by those coming after them.

He expressed surprise that former President Olusegun Obasanjo could also level corruption allegation against PDP, when he spent eight years as president on the platform of PDP which was in power for 16 years.

‎On whether a mega party would be formed to wrestle power from the APC, Fayose said time would tell, adding that he was a committed and loyal member of the PDP.

Answering question on the mode of selecting the PDP governorship candidate in Ekiti State come 2018, the governor said ‎public servants, artisans and people from different sectors in the state would form part of the collegiate that would nominate the party’s standard bearer.

He said it would be after collating opinions of the various groups that the aspirants would go for the primary of the party.

“Nobody will be stopped from aspiring, but we will go through that system to ensure that our candidate is the choice of the people of the state. After that, the party’s primary would select, but whatever results we have got from the different groups could guide in party members making the final choice, ” he said.

On the costs of capital projects being executed across the state, Fayose said over N12 billion was involved.

He stated that the flyover in Ado-Ekiti would gulp about N6 billion, the new Ojaba Market about N3.5 billion and that the three phases of the dualisation of Ikere main road would gulp N2.5 billion.

On what the state would do if the contractors could not deliver on time, the governor said nothing was a matter of life and death, adding that what the state was after was quality job being done.