Ekiti: Fayose, Olujimi, Aderemi Lose Out By Our Reporter
Saturday, April 28, 2007

The political drama that has been playing out in Ekiti State ended on Friday with a shocker: the Speaker of the state House of Assembly, Mr. Tope Ademiluyi, was inaugurated as the acting governor.

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Ademiluyi’s emergence came as a surprise as the House of Representatives on Tuesday specifically directed the Federal Government to inaugurate the former Speaker, who was once the acting Governor, Chief Friday Aderemi, in place of the Sole Administrator, Retired General Adetunji Olurin.

With the inauguration of Ademiluyi, the former Governor of the state, Mr. Ayo Fayose; his deputy, Chief Biodun Olujimi; and Aderemi, have lost out in the scheming for the governor’s seat.

Both Fayose and Olujimi have separate cases in the courts calling for their return as the constitutionally recognised governor of the state.

Olurin inaugurated Ademiluyi at a ceremony on Friday evening in Ado-Ekiti.

The Federal Government in a statement by the Senior Special Assistant, Media, to President Olusegun Obasanjo, Mrs. Remi Oyo, said that the extension of Olurin’s tenure unilaterally by the President was because the National Assembly was not in session when the first six months of the emergency rule expired.

But the gubernatorial candidate of the Action Congress in the April 14 election, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, faulted the inauguration of Ademiluyi as the governor.

Rather, he argued that Aderemi should have been the rightful occupant of the seat as pronounced by the National Assembly.

Fayemi, in a statement on Friday by Mr. Yemi Adaramodu, said, “In as much as we regard Mr. Tope Ademiluyi a good son of Ekiti, we believe that his assumption of such coveted position must follow due process and an omnipotent regard for rule of law.

“The brazen disregard for rule of law in declaring Mr. Tope Ademiluyi as the acting governor by Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, instead of Chief Friday Aderemi, the statutory speaker who had been once sworn-in as the acting governor, smacks of executive rascality and ungodly obstinacy.

“It should be noted that while declaring a state of emergency in Ekiti on November 19,2006, President Obasanjo taking a cue from the pronouncement of the Chief Justice of the Federation and attorney-general said he did not recognise any action taken by the House of Assembly concerning the impeachment of then Governor Fayose and the swearing in of Friday Aderemi as speaker.

“What this means is that the appointment of Tope Ademiluyi was also a product of the same illegality then which should also be disregarded.”