by Ayomide Ekerin

Ekiti Governor Ayodele Fayose is at it again. This time he is not speaking about the health status of President Muhammadu Buhari nor about the governance of the All Progressives Congress (APC). He is more concerned about completing his aborted first term in office, ignoring the fact that he is yet to complete his second term.

The Ekiti State Assembly in 2006, impeached the governor in controversial circumstances following a running battle he had with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

On Monday, at his monthly Public Enlightenment Programme, the governor stated that since the Supreme Court had ruled that his impeachment was illegal, null and void, he reserved the constitutional right to contest his removal in 2006.

According to him, since his tenure had been adjudged by the Supreme Court to have been illegally truncated, he had no option than to approach the same court to seek an interpretation of the judgment.

Fayose has put everyone on alert, that come 2018, there can be no gubernatorial election in Ekiti until the Supreme Court clarifies his entitlement to complete the remaining part of his first term in office. We are wondering if this is a threat or a statement of fact, and who it is directed to. Surely it is not directed at the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), whose duty it is to set in motion the process leading to the conduct of the gubernatorial election in the state. Not just that, they are also to see to the conduct of elections and the emergence of a substantive governor.

Before the end of this year, INEC will come up with a timetable for the election, which will contain the dates for the collection and submission of nomination forms, the conduct of primaries in various parties, commencement and end of the campaign and finally, the conduct of the election. INEC has no business with Fayose’s ambition, they have their work cut out for them. So how can Fayose stop INEC from carrying out their constitutional duty while his case is being interpreted by the court? Maybe through the court once again. Ex parte motions, interlocutory injunctions; you know the drill.

However, when you think through it, eleven long years has passed since Fayose left office. During that period, two governors have come and gone. The Ekiti people have moved on, so has the electoral timeline of the state. Yes, according to the Supreme Court, the process that led to his impeachment was illegal, that doesn’t say he didn’t deserve to be ousted.

Up till now, his name has not been cleared, neither has he been tried for the Misappropriation of funds that led to his impeachment. Yet, for a paltry seven months that he missed out on his first term, he wants time to stand still so he can take us back to 2006. Tell him time stops for no man.

Editor