Tension in Ekiti as Supreme Court decides Gov. Fayose’s fate today

There is anxiety in Ekiti State as the Supreme Court in Abuja prepares to deliver judgment on Tuesday (today) in the appeal filed by the All Progressives Congress, APC, against the victory of Governor Ayodele Fayose in the June 21, 2014 governorship election. Fayose, in a state-wide broadcast on Monday, asked residents to maintain the peace and go about their lawful duties.
He also thanked the people of the state for voting overwhelmingly for all PDP candidates in Saturday’s House of Assembly elections, adding that the victory has confirmed that he had a genuine mandate of the people. He expressed optimism that he would be vindicated at the end of the day and triumph over whatever plot being hatched to truncate his tenure. It would be recalled that the Ekiti Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal had on December 19, 2014 upheld Fayose’s victory and dismissed the APC petition for lack of merit. Not satisfied with the verdict, APC proceeded to the appellate court on the grounds that Fayose was not qualified to stand for the election as a candidate because of his impeachment on October 16, 2006 during his first tenure as governor.

 The APC also alleged that Fayose forged his academic certificates and violated the Code of Conduct rules.
 However, the five- member panel,
chaired by Justice Abdul Aboki, in its judgment on February 16 upheld the judgment of the Tribunal,
 which affirmed Fayose as the winner of the June 21, 2014 poll. Though the Justice Abdul Aboki-led
five-man panel dismissed the appeal filed by the APC, it found merit in the appellant’s complaints that the military
 was used to harass and intimidate its supporters and leaders during the polls. Dissatisfied still, the APC proceeded to the Supreme Court. The Independent National Electoral Commission had declared that Fayose polled 203,090 votes to defeat the then incumbent governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, of the All Progressives Congress, APC, who polled 120,433 votes in the election.