Novemeber 19, 2010
Re: Kayode Fayemi's Dictatorship In Ekiti State
By Peter Claver OparahI read a report, a brief one, by saharareporters on what it sees as a Kayode Fayemi dictatorship in Ekiti State. The report based its catchy headline on what it perceives as some dictatorial moves of the newly sworn in Governor of Ekiti State, Dr. Kayode Fayemi.
These include, allegedly 'getting' members of the Action Congress in the Ekiti State Assembly to approve a 'rash' of appointments and elect a deputy speaker for the assembly. The report went further to allege that twelve members of the ACN in the state house of assembly illegally announced a Deputy Speaker contrary to the set standard engaging all members of the house and requiring 2/3rd majority to carry out such an act in the state legislature. The report went on to list Fayemi's dictatorial acts to also include the dissolution of 'elected' local government officials across the state and concluded by comparing his actions to that of the Ogun State governor who has carved a niche of notoriety for the many acts of executive rascality in the state.
I had to strain myself to confirm the authorship of the article, not because the report did not contain cogent concerns that should go back to the mishandling of the democratic project in Nigeria but because the report was slanted against Fayemi and his own legal efforts to take control of his state. I do not believe that sahara wrote or did the flashy headline out of malice because I know that saharareporters was deeply involved in the three and half years effort of Fayemi to reclaim his mandate. I do believe that sahara, in line with its commitment to free and egalitarian society was only desirous of helping Fayemi from straying to the attractive paths of despotism. But the problem was that sahara approached the matter entirely from the perspective of Ekiti PDP, which is now crying that a dose of its deadly medication is now being given to it.
I want to state that I am sending this reply as a private citizen who is sympathetic to Fayemi and the cause he had been fighting in Ekiti State, which has now been rewarded with his retrieving his mandate. So this is, by no means, the official reply of the Ekiti State Government. I share sahara's concern that prompted that report but I do not subscribe to the manner it was slanted to put the Fayemi government in bad light. I feel a report on the present in Ekiti State should go the whole hog to locate where rain started beating us in Nigeria, not only in Ekiti and if we do so, we would discover a deep layered mishandling of governance in Nigeria, which the PDP has made an integral part of the dysfunctional democracy they have presided over for nearly twelve years. Pandering to their present lamentation over developments in Ekiti would mean supporting their penchant to eat from both sides of the table and the continued subjugation of Nigerians to their selfish desires.
On the 12 ACN members approving the 'rash' of appointments made by Fayemi, I do not know the premise sahara employed in coming to the conclusion that Fayemi's initial appointments were 'rash'. To how they got approved, I learnt that the PDP members of the house decided to boycott a session where Fayemi's appointments would have been deliberated or did sahara find out that there were any conscious efforts to bar PDP members from being part of the screening process of the appointees? On the appointment of a Deputy Speaker, one wonders if the ACN members need the governor to replace their late Deputy Speaker, Saliu Adeoti. ACN members of the house simply nominated one of them to replace Adeoti and here, I want to highlight on the peculiar nature of Ekiti Assembly for us to appreciate what happened in the house of assembly. Ekiti house is made up of 26 members and both the ACN and the PDP have 13 members each. During the era of the illegitimate governor Segun Oni, there was heated battle on who should be speaker and the fight tapered till the greater parts of the Oni regime. In the heat of the crisis, which went to and fro the courts, the PDP nominated the speaker and the ACN rejected him. However, there was an amicable settlement by both parties and contained in the settlement is the provision that the party that controls the executive should provide the speaker while the other party provides the Deputy. That was how the PDP nominee for the speakership prevailed and the late Adeoti became the Deputy Speaker. However, Adeoti died few days after the ACN retrieved the state from the PDP and the ACN merely nominated its house leader as the Deputy Speaker. Because the PDP in Ekiti is in a last breadth fight for survival and is still hurting from losing the state, they still went further to list that innocuous action of the ACN as one of Fayemi's sins. And sahara is concurring? Haba!
One would have curiously asked if the current speaker could have emerged if there was no such consensus. So what is the beef of the Ekiti PDP with whoever the ACN nominated to fill its vacant slot? Or does it want to nominate for the ACN after nominating the speaker? Would it have been possible for a speaker to emerge from Ekiti given the even spread of the members if not for this peculiar agreement? It has only one option and that is to give the ACN nomination their approval instead of bellyaching when all know that, by virtue of the agreement with which it provided the Speaker, it should give the post up, if not for the death of Adeoti. What I find curious is why sahara should see this as a sign of an emerging dictatorship.
On the dissolution of council chairmen, I know that sahara knew that the so-called 'elected' chairmen emerged through the most horrible of means. Sahara knows how the state electoral body was constituted by the governor and how he got few PDP members to approve same by 4 am, with the ACN kicking strongly against that action. One wonders if these were the 'elected' chairmen of local councils that sahara is using its hard earned integrity to defend. Sahara knew about the charade that was passed as local council election in Ekiti that produced these so-called 'elected' chairmen was just one stupid, dumb process to free load PDP rally space fillers in the 16 councils of Ekiti. Simply put, these so-called chairmen went the way they came and I believe it would be stretching naivety to high heavens to expect that Fayemi would have anchored his government with PDP rentiers that emerged through a despicable process in firm control of Ekiti grassroots. If he should allow this, in deference to a quaint democracy that favours ghouls and roughnecks, against those that stick to the rules, I bet sahara would be the first to blame him tomorrow for being naïve and expecting to build his political base on the quicksand of his opponents.
Again, and as at date, the laws of the land vested such powers of control on him as the Governor of Ekiti State. Come to think of it, the very first action the present Oyo State governor did when he assumed duty was to dissolve the 33 councils of the state, mainly controlled by the ACN, which were inaugurated by his predecessor, Rashid Ladoja after an election, just before he left power. In virtually all the states, governors dissolve councils at will and this has become an issue only when PDP was affected by a dosage of the same medication it dishes out to others. Would sahara have been comfortable if other Nigerians continue to be targets of the PDP ruthlessness with power?
All said, I believe sahara's report was not based on malice but genuine concern about the democratic content of statecraft in Nigeria, especially among its friends in government. I share the view that theirs was a friendly reminder to our common friend not to adopt the lawless strategy of our common enemy in fighting his cause. But it took very scant regard to the capacity of the common enemy to see every tactics as fair so long as it promotes its selfish interests. sahara was being lenient with the fact that the PDP is a leviathan that craves the bending of every rule for it and for it alone. Pray, if we do not deal with them with a dose of their hemlock, how will they ever get to appreciate that Nigerians are hurting from its many deliberate acts of impunity and lawlessness? Do we allow them continue raping us with strings of illegality and also join them in crying wolf when they become victims of their evil machinations?
The central lesson in what is happening in Ekiti State presently is that the PDP must cease visiting brigandage and lawlessness on the rest of the nation just because it fancies itself an unaccountable bully that must remain in perpetual control of power in Nigeria. If the PDP feels so strongly about what is happening in Ekiti State presently, they would have gone to court to challenge their legality. But I do not see any action taken here by Governor Fayemi that has not been taken severally in many states in Nigeria by the PDP. Again, he has never departed from law in doing what he is doing. He still acts within the purview of his powers, which is not really the attribute of a dictator. If these actions were wrong, I believe the best way to source for solution is to target the same PDP anywhere any of the opposition parties gets control of power. That way, they would see the need to avoid visiting impunity on Nigerians in the belief that they will always get away with such brazen licentiousness with the people's interests. That does not make Fayemi a dictator or a budding dictator, as the sahara report wanted to potray although, as I stated, sahara was not ruled by any devious intent in writing that report but genuine concern for democratic development in our raped country. I want to assure them that with Fayemi, they have nothing to fear.
Peter Claver Oparah.
Ikeja Lagos.
Email: peterclaver2000@yahoo.com
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ALUKO COMMENTARY
May Peter Claver Oparah's tribe increase!
I made my own more private complaint to Saharareporters about the same report http://www.saharareporters.com/news-page/kayode-fayemi-dictatorship-ekiti-state, as to how a week of sharp and necessary activities by a new Governor acting in the face of a shocked and implacable opposition PDP elements known for violence even among its own ranks - not to talk about against the opposition - just out of power suddenly amounted to a (pattern of) dictatorship.
Despite the histrionics, I guess the author of the piece considers it pre-emptive solidarity warning - which should be appreciated. One expects more of that friendly fire....
Moving on to the substantive matter at hand....
The case of the PDP on this matter is like the boy who kills his parents and begs for mercy for being an orphan. The PDP and its supporters manufacture 'anarchy' - instead of going to court - and now claim that they they are victims of government terror.
Quite disingenuous, I would say.
Unfortunately PDP appears ONLY to understand FORCE - its members use it more on THEMSELVES even in states that they control, not to talk of across parties.
So we need to let Ekiti PDP know how to use the COURTS properly in Ekiti if they have grievances. No party has a right to ask its members to INVADE government property, and then expect the government to sit idly by. That is felony trespass - or some legal term like that.
The loss of lives in Ijero LG or elsewhere if confirmed is regretted - not to talk of some broken limbs, probably on both sides in other places - but I fear that blood has a sacrificial and cleansing connotation in human affairs; that is a Christian principle. As to those unfortunate deaths, as activist - and I would say brave - as I am, I would NEVER encourage my son or brother or sister to INVADE government or other person's property in order to protest a political action or to make a political point in the face of possible government wrath. To save a life, yes, but to assert a dubious (il)legality, no. If he or she feels strongly to do that, then he or she should be prepared to face the consequences - including needless or money-induced death.
I always ask myself when I am carrying out any action - including bungee-jumping: if I died doing this elective activity, would God welcome me into His bossoms and say, "Welcome son, you died EXACTLY doing MY will!" If my answer is No, I reconsider, for every loss of life, particularly if needless, diminishes us all.
It is as simple as that.
In any case, one hopes that everybody can now settle down and let the government rule as peacefully as it can for the next four years for which it is guaranteed by law - and I can assure you that Ekiti will not be the same ever again. If people however continue to sulk about lost power - and talk ceaselessly of Lagos/BAT influence, and wish state of emergency, anarchy etc. on Ekiti State - then they will be unhappy for quite some time while the state moves on.
On a final note: Let the Ekiti State Assembly men [and no woman] all return to work and earn their salaries - at least for the next seven months or so - and legislate right for the people. Let those who recently "constructively abstained" from the proceedings return - and things will be better on the long run.
And there you have it.
Bolaji Aluko
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