Charge Fayose for contempt – APC lawmakers urge Abuja Court

The crisis rocking Ekiti State has shown no sign of abating, as the 19 All Progressives Congress, APC lawmakers in Ekiti State House of Assembly have prayed a Federal High Court, Abuja, to commence a contempt proceeding against Governor Ayodele Fayose for allegedly manipulating its ruling.

The lawmakers warned that impunity and manipulating the facts of his impeachment case in the media would not save him.

The lawmakers made the call in reaction to media reports on the ruling of the Federal High Court in Abuja refusing Fayose and seven Peoples Democratic Party, PDP lawmakers’ request seeking to stop the APC lawmakers from going ahead with the impeachment process against the governor.

In a statement by the Special Adviser to Speaker A Adewale Omirin, Wole Olujobi, on Saturday, the lawmakers said they were surprised that the governor and his men could deliberately misrepresent the facts of the ruling to mislead the public.

“It is incredible that the governor and the PDP lawmakers could manipulate the press again to mislead the public that the ruling by Justice Evoh Chukwu was in their favour.

“While the judge clearly ruled that it could not stop Fayose’s impeachment without hearing from the APC lawmakers, the governor’s storm troopers went to town in a contempt of court to turn full circle the ruling by the judge.

“He first raided the courts and chased the judges under their tables and subsequently closed the courts. After that, he closed the House of Assembly and chased the lawmakers out of town.

“Fayose is now creating for himself a reputation as an enemy of the state who within few months killed all democratic institutions and their supporting structures in Nigeria in a mindless pursuit of power.?”

The lawmakers asked the court to establish a contempt charge against the governor and his men for this “thoughtless manipulation and misrepresentation of the ruling to put the court in bad light.”

However, the governor, reacting through his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Idowu Adelusi, insisted he would not dignify the APC with a response.

He said: “We are not interested in joining issues with them on the pages of newspapers on the court ruling since we know and everybody knows the type of character the APC lawmakers are. “A dog that will perish will not listen to the whistle of the hunter.”