Ekiti Council Chiefs Jittery Over Fayemi's Victory

dp_seal_trans_16x1683

Chairmen of the 16 local government areas in Ekiti State are now jittery following  last Friday’s Appeal Court judgment in Ilorin, declaring as winner, the Action  Congress of Nigeria (ACN) candidate in the 2007 governorship election, Dr. Kayode  Fayemi and sacking the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Engr. Segun Oni.

LG Circuit gathered that the council chairmen, who are all members of the PDP, are  apprehensive of what may become of them as there are indications that the new  governor may dissolve the 16 councils and board of parastatals and replace them with  caretaker committees.

A source informed LG Circuit that the governor will be relying on a subsisting court  order, which initially stopped the conduct of the election that brought the 16 PDP  council chairmen into office, which was defied by the ousted Governor Oni’s  administration, which conducted the election.

The Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) had boycotted the election on the grounds that  it did not comply with democratic norms.

The case, however, is still pending in court.

But in his reaction, the Chairman of Ikole Local Government, Mr. Wole Ayeni,  expressed confidence that the governor will allow the council chiefs to complete  their tenure in office which ends in the next one year.

Speaking with LG Circuit in a telephone chat yesterday, Ayeni described Fayemi as  one that so much believes in the rule of law, saying he will not want to do anything  in the contrary.

According to him, “a suit over the matter is still pending before the court and the  governor, being a staunch believer in the rule of law, will not want to do a thing  that will be considered unlawful, more so, we were duly elected in an election  conducted by legally constituted state Independent Electoral Commission (SIEC),  while we signed a three-year tenure out of which we have spent just one year and ten  months and still have one year and two months to go.”

Related News

On his allegiance to the new governor being a member of the opposition party, Ayeni  said as a true democrat and a local government chairman, he is bound to be loyal to  the governor of the day, irrespective of his political leaning, but was quick to add  that he is a bona fide member of the PDP and can never trade away his party for  anything.

He, however, wished the governor a successful tenure.

Meanwhile, the Kayode Fayemi government in Ekiti State has directed security  agencies to take measures “to prevent further looting in the local government’s  headquarters and treasury cash offices.”

A statement issued by Mr. Yemi Adaramodu, an aide to Governor Fayemi in Ado-Ekiti,  the state’s capital, had alleged looting of government property in the 16 local  government councils.

The statement urged local government workers under the aegis of the National Union  of Local Government Employees (NULGE), to help the new government in stopping the  alleged fraud.

It warned that government would deal decisively with anyone found to be directly or  indirectly involved in the looting.

  Copyright protected by Digiprove © 2010 P.M.News

Load more