Posted by By MATTHEW DIKE, Ado-Ekiti on
There seems to be days of trouble ahead for the Ekiti State Commissioner of Police, Mr Ibezimako Aghanya as the elections petition tribunal in the state begins sitting, judging by the huge crowd that accompanied the Action Congress (AC) governorship candidate in Ekiti State, Dr Kayode Fayemi to submit his protest against the April 14 gubernatorial election to the tribunal in Ado Ekiti on Friday, May 11.
There seems to be days of trouble ahead for the Ekiti State Commissioner of Police, Mr Ibezimako Aghanya as the elections petition tribunal in the state begins sitting, judging by the huge crowd that accompanied the Action Congress (AC) governorship candidate in Ekiti State, Dr Kayode Fayemi to submit his protest against the April 14 gubernatorial election to the tribunal in Ado Ekiti on Friday, May 11.
Daily Sun gathered that the CP has been having sleepless nights since Fayemi submitted his petition to the tribunal wondering what the security situation would be like when the tribunal starts sitting if a surging large crowd could accompany the AC from the tribunal back to his office just to submit a petition.
So large was the crowd that Mr Aghanya thought the AC was having a rally and had to rush to Fayemi's office to warn the gubernatorial candidate against any unauthorised rally, but was shocked to learn that the gathering was a sponteanous reaction by the people to the party's effort to reclaim what it considers its legitimate mandate at the polls.
"Chairman! Chairman! Come o, I did not permit you to do rally o. You have no permission for this rally. I'm warning you now. If anything happens, don't call me o. I'm leaving. I have told you o," an agitated Aghanya warned when he and his men stormed Fayemi's office along Ajilosun Road, Ado-Ekiti.
He might have been crying wolf, however, as the AC candidade had, while addressing the people, told them to go home peacefully, advice that was duly heeded.
It was drama along the road as supporters and sympathisers enveloped Fayemi and his running mate, Funmi Olayinka, singing and hailing their potentials while some market women along the road offered supporters free brooms which represent the symbol of AC as they prayed for their success at the tribunal.
By the time the tribunal starts sitting, legal fireworks should follow as no fewer than 50 senior lawyers would be appearing for the AC and they would be led by Yussuf Ali [SAN] and others including Niyi Akintola [SAN], Titus Ashaolu [SAN], Femi Falana, Dele Adeshina, etc.
Fayemi said though it would cost a whopping sum of money, the mandate of Ekiti people would never be compromised. He recalled how Ekiti people came out in their large numbers to vote for him and, at the end of the day, they were robbed of the mandate and for that if it required to lay down his life to see that the wish and dreams of Ekiti people are realised, he would do so.
He said he had confidence in the judiciary and described the mandate given to him as God's project that is sacred and therefore must fight legally to collect what Ekiti people gave him to hold for them: "I had faced many trials in my life right from the days of the military. I have faced many tribulations and this will not be an exception. But I conquered all. No amount of assassination attempt and threat will stop me from pursuing the mandate of the people," Fayemi said.
He recalled how those he called enemies of progress sent threat messages and, according to him, pass wrong information to the people that he has been offered appointment as an Ambassador and also a minister by the in-coming PDP Federal government.
Thousands of supporters and sympathisers followed him from the tribunal office as they sang solidarity songs and did not allow him to go until they got to his party office on Ajilosun Road, Ado-Ekiti, and less than two minutes after he addressed the audience, telling them to go home peacefully just as he did at the High Court premises, the State Commissioner of Police, Aghanya arrived with his men, feeling disturbed.
A chief in the state and member of the party who pleaded for anonymity, told Daily Sun that the commissioner must have been misinformed that AC was organising a rally.
"Enemies of progress in Ekiti State and a rival party would be the people that deceived the Commissioner of Police that AC was organising a rally. If not that you journalists were aware of the way sympathisers of AC rushed into the Tribunal premises to know whether AC was actually filing a petition or not, you would not have known what happened. You can see how people feel very concerned about their stolen mandate. You can see that Fayemi really won. Thousands of people here are the evidence," he said.
Some party men tried in vain to let Commissioner Aghanya know that it was not a rally but people on their own volition gathered to solidarise with Fayemi when they heard that the party had filed petitions to contest the elections in some parts of the state, but he would not listen.