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| Fayose |
There are 36 state governors in Nigeria, but Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti State is regarded as one of the most vocal and people see him as someone who has remained steadfast in “fighting for his people.”
Fayose has remained vocal against the Muhammadu Buhariled All Progressives Congress (APC) administration over public issues and his public comments and criticisms of the incumbent administration has tactically attracted many friends and woes to him.
Despite controversies over his outburst, Fayose, who was recently elected as Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Governors’ Forum seems not to be bothered as he has not looked back in any struggle he believes in.
In fact, based on his commitment and service to the people, the governor on many occasions has risked his life, moving out of his comfort zone to champion a cause. The governor’s actions and inactions have won many people to his fold as well as making some people to distance themselves from him.
And hardly a week passes by, without the governor being in the news, either for positive or negative reasons. Fayose was in the news last week over the role he played in preventing operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) from arresting the General Overseer of The Omega Fire Ministries Worldwide, Apostle Johnson Suleman, in Ado Ekiti, the capital of Ekiti State. The governor had in the early hours of last Wednesday, prevented DSS operatives from arresting Apostle Suleiman, who was in Ado- Ekiti for a two-day crusade.
The situation surrounding the arrest drama was based on an allegation surrounding his recent preaching against the rampage by Fulani herdsmen and ordering his members to kill any suspected herdsman they find near him or his church.
The DSS officials were reported to have trailed Apostle Suleman to his hotel room in Adebayo area of Ado-Ekiti, to arrest him but their operation was foiled by Governor Fayose, following a distress call from the cleric, who had earlier paid him a courtesy visit at Ekiti State Government House.
Fayose was reported to have personally gone to Apostle Suleman’s hotel to prevent the DSS operatives from going away with the fiery preacher.
He later took the cleric to the government house for safety. Speaking on why he prevented Apostle Suleman arrest, the governor said the DSS should have easily invited the preacher if they have anything against him instead of resorting to a Gestapo-like arrest.
His words: “If they have any issue with him instead of arresting him in the dead of the night after a powerful and spirit-filled crusade in my state. I personally attended his crusade and I think it is wrong for a man of God who is armless that could be invited if they have any issue against him.
Are Christians and Moslems under different dispensation of the rule of law? That is why I went there to rescue him. Let them kill two of us together.
“We have information that instructions came from DSS in Abuja that the Pastor should be arrested. We are not in a fascist state; the Federal Government must learn to respect the rights of Nigerians and freedom of expression. This is unacceptable, we are in a democracy and Nigerians should warn the Presidency against putting this country on fire because religion is an emotional thing.”
The incident was not the first time Fayose would be foiling efforts by security agents to effect arrest in his state. He had earlier prevented the arrest of Mrs. Precious Fani- Kayode, wife of former Minister of Aviation and chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Femi Fani-Kayode by officials of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
The governor on October 17, 2016, forced EFCC operatives to release Fani-Kayode’s wife after he was detained for hours in Ado-Ekiti, while trying to withdraw money from her account at a bank in Ado-Ekiti.
Mrs Fani-Kayode, who was a guest of Fayose at the time, had gone to bank around 3.00pm but rather than being promptly attended to, considering that she went there with her eight-month baby, she was detained by officials of the bank base on instructions by the EFCC. She was detained for about four hours and it took the intervention of Governor Fayose, who stormed the bank premises around 7.00pm with some of his supporters to secure her release.
Fayose, who condemned the action of the anti-graft agency and attitude of the bank officials, warned EFCC against becoming lawless and reckless against Nigerians.
“They can’t try that nonsense in my state. If they try it, there will be a showdown. They are over-stepping their boundary. This is a country that operates a constitution. What kind of molestation is this, taking away the rights of Nigerians because you are investigating?
Must they terrorise people because they are in opposition? This is lawlessness,” he said. But, the EFCC, in a swift reaction to Governor Fayose’s claim, denied detaining Mrs. Fani-Kayode and her son, saying that the woman had issue in the bank because she attempted to withdraw money from an account which the agency had frozen.
The commission’s spokesman, Mr. Wilson Uwajaren said: “They (EFCC officials) were arranging to take the suspect to the police station when Governor Ayo Fayose stormed the bank with thugs and his personal security and forcefully secured the release of the suspect, with claims that the EFCC had no power to detain anybody in his state. He also vowed to close down the branch of the bank.”
With the trend in Ekiti State and how Fayose is allegedly preventing officials of Federal Government agencies from carrying out their lawful duties, some analysts are of the view that the governor’s action is in order.
They believe that the governor as the Chief Security Officer of his state has the power to defend people in his state. But another school of thought believes that Governor Fayose’s disruption of government officials from performing their lawful duties is not in the interest of Ekiti State and Nigeria in general.
They said that irrespective of the reason the governor may have given for his actions, obstructing security agents and anti-graft officials from carrying out their task is a wrong precedent being set by the governor. Speaking with New Telegraph, a lawyer and human rights activist, Dr. Femi Aborishade, said no governor has the right to obstruct administration of justice even as he cautioned security agents to shun impunity.
His words: “A governor has no right to obstruct administration of justice or frustrate the performance of official function by any public agency. I believe that the security agents could not have been stopped by the governor if the arrest they want to implement was lawful. If what the security agents want to do is lawful, there is no way they would have been prevented from carrying out their duties. “The alleged attempted arrest by DSS, which Fayose was reported to have foil is unlawful. The involvement of the DSS in those arrests also reflects some level of impunity, which should be condemned. The DSS is established for state security, not to usurp the role of the regular police, Nigeria Police Force.”
Also speaking to New Telegraph, the president of Arewa Youth Consultative Forum, Alhaji Yerima Shettima, said: “The issue is not about Governor Fayose stopping government officials from arresting anybody because he is not also above the law. But the fact is that when you make intimidating and oppressing people to become the order of the day without following the right process, you make some people unpopular.
“When you begin to use the state machinery to victimise anybody that is against the government, there will always be an issue and that was what took us to where we are today. It shouldn’t be so. If there is anybody who does anything contrary to the law, the person should be invited by security agents for questioning. Security personnel should not be encouraged to victimise those perceived to be against the government. It is not only about Fayose, any other person can do the same.”
A former presidential candidate of the National Conscience Party (NCP), Chief Martins Onovo said; “Fayose is the Chief Security Officer of his state, so his sole responsibility is to provide security for people in his state. Governor Fayose as the constitutional Chief Security Officer of Ekiti State has the responsibility for security of Ekiti State.
So, the security establishment must respect his position as the Chief Security Officer of Ekiti State and cooperate with him in providing security for the people of Ekiti State.” Despite the justification and condemnation of Fayose’s action, one thing is certain – it is unlikely that the governor, who has severally described himself as the “voice of the voiceless” will give up his self-assigned role of a public defender.
New Telegraph
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