By Tom Chiahemen & Emeka Nze
Reactions trailed yesterday's sack of Engr. Segun Oni of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as governor of Ekiti state, with Lagos lawyer, Festus Keyamo describing the judgment by the Court of Appeal sitting in Ilorin as yet one of those bright spots in the annals of our judiciary.
The national leadership of the ruling PDP, expressed shock over the removal of Engr. Oni but said it as a law abiding party, it accepted the decision of the Appeal Court, which declared Dr. Kayode Fayomi of the Action Congress of Nigeria (CAN) as the rightful winner of the April 2009 governorship re-run election.
According to Keyamo, the facts of the case were clearly in the public domain, especially as it concerns Ido-Osi Local Government Area and the controversial somersault of the then Resident Electoral Commissioner, Mrs. Ayoka Adebayo.
The lawyer stated that it would have been a travesty of justice, destruction of democratic ethos, and a day-light political armed-robbery, had the judgment been otherwise.
In his words: "With this judgment, those remaining dark shadows that are still hanging ominously over the judiciary are beginning to give way. This kind of judgment makes us proud as Lawyers; makes us proud as Nigerians and gives real hope to our democratic future", he said.
He said those who allowed this travesty of justice to reign initially (and by so doing allowed an unelected person to manage the resources of a State for three and half years), notably Prof. Maurice Iwu and Mrs. Ayoka Adebayo must be arrested, detained, charged, tried publicly and sentenced to jail with hard labour.
This, according to him will serve as a painful deterrent to others not to toy with our democratic future.
He paid glowing tribute to the Justices of the Court of Appeal who gave this resounding judgment for their uprightness, their high integrity, and their legal sagacity.
The Lagos lawyer urged Nigerians to rise up and salute former Gov. Bola Ahmed Tinubu, for the supportive role he has continued to play in wrestling some of the states back from the grip of the PDP.
He called on Governor Kayode Fayemi to justify the confidence reposed in him through good governance, by shunning corruption in the discharge of his duties and by leading his people aright.
National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Prof. Rufai Ahmed Alkali, in a statement issued in Abuja yesterday, said the party was shocked principally because Ekiti State is one of its strongholds.
He said, "We flash back that at the last year's re-run governorship election, our great party reaffirmed our superiority as well as popularity with the people of Ekiti State. Though pyrrhic, the PDP won the election decisively. Our victory was re-affirmed subsequently by the Ekiti State Governorship Election Tribunal who upheld the re-election of Governor Oni."
Sadly, he said, "the learned justices of the Appeal Court, Ilorin Division thought otherwise" (and) "as a law abiding political party with firm was in the rule of law, we accept this judgement."
The PDP however urged all its members in Ekiti state to remain strong and not be down spirited by this new development as the PDP will surely take back the state in the next governorship election.
Prof. Alkali also charged them to continue to support the PDP and the numerous reform programs which the National Working Committee (NWC) under the leadership Dr. Okwesilieze Nwodo had embarked upon.
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