No One Can Force Us To Remove Fayose – EKHA

By; OLADELE ADEDAYO, Ado-Ekiti.
The Ekiti State House of Assembly has described those calling for the illegal removal of the State Governor, Mr. Ayodele Fayose, from office as jesters who are also ignorant of the provisions of the constitution of Nigeria.
The Assembly also said the people are jobless and are mediocre who are only being used by their pay masters who have been rejected in the polls by the people of the state.
The members of the Assembly spoke through their Speaker, Rt. Hon. Kola Oluwawole, in Ado-Ekiti on Wednesday.
The lawmakers were reacting to a statement credited to a group,the Coalition for Good Governance and Anti-Corruption,which said in Abuja on Tuesday that Governor Fayose be removed from office.

‎”The EKHA as a matter of fact wouldn’t have dignified this faceless group with any response, who out of joblessness and mediocrity are busy chasing shadows; ‎but for their attempt at misleading the public hence our reaction. ‎

“Those calling for the removal of Governor Ayodele Fayose are nothing but political jesters and theatre art practitioners masquerading as activists.  ‎

“Unfortunately,they are speaking from Abuja and not from Ekiti,thus they have no jurisdiction to cry more than the bereaved in the first instance about government and governance in Ekiti State. ‎

“The EKHA would have ignored these marauders,but they need to be aware of the following facts. The Office of the Governor of Ekiti State is established in Part 2, Section 176 (1) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as amended for a period of 4 years herein called the term of office and Section 180 (1) listed all extraneous conditions that can make an occupant to cease to hold the office as a governor. ‎

“Also, Section 189(1) of the same constitution listed the extraneous conditions of removing the governor of a state through the House of Assembly.‎

“Nowhere was it stated that some drunkards can gather after a binge night out and ask for the removal of a sitting and performing governor with executive powers as conferred by Section 176 (2) of the constitution.‎

“The EKHA is saddled with the responsibility of oversight functions,  particularly with powers on matters of evidence against any political office holder in Ekiti state inclusive of the governor as enshrined in Section 129 of the Nigerian constitution as amended.  ‎

“These functions,we have carried out without fear or favour and with so much vigour in the overall interest of the people of Ekiti State. ‎Nowhere and no time in Ekiti State will the legislature and the executive be at loggerheads because we remain indivisible, inseparable and closely bounded,sharing the same umbilical cord with the Governor of Ekiti State, Dr. Ayodele Fayose.‎

“Those that are behind this faceless group with their political masters should know that their agenda is dead on arrival and hence it’s an impossible mission clearly not in line with laid down procedures as established by the laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,”

The legislators added that should the people be desperate at seeing the removal of any head of government, “there is one at their backyard in Abuja,that Nigerians are already clamouring for his removal for not keeping to his electoral promises,coupled with high handedness, subjection of Nigerians to hunger and deprivation,untoward hardships and tendency to dictatorship and absolutism as a result of flagrant disobedience to court orders.

“They can easily call for the democratic removal of the one in Abuja that we are talking about without necessarily mentioning names but if we are really pressed further,we will be forced to name names in our next reply, “they said.
The Ekiti lawmakers stressed further that they and the people of the state had no apology for standing by Governor Fayose.