…Says it is judicial rascality

Ekiti State Governor, Mr Ayodele Fayose has called on the National
Judicial Council (NJC) to probe the Taraba State governorship election
tribunal judgement, sacking the State Governor, Darius Ishaku, saying “such judicial rascality and conspiracy displayed in Taraba State must not be allowed to go unquestioned.”

He said from the Taraba State judgment and others involving the
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), it appeared there were different laws
being applied to similar cases by the election tribunal, adding that;
“Even when a judge has to exercise his discretion in a matter before
him, such discretion must be exercised judicially and judiciously.”

In a statement signed by his Special Assistant on Public Communications and New Media, Lere Olayinka, Governor Fayose maintained that “instead of calling for Fayose’s head that they can never get, the judiciary must in the interest of democracy and rule of law purge itself of cash and carry judges that are daily giving tainted and contradictory judgments.”

The governor, who said even though parties to the case have the option
of appeal up to the Supreme Court, added that those who truncated
democracy in Nigeria through military coup must not be allowed to
truncate democracy again through manipulation of a section of the
judiciary and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

He said; “There are no gods in the judiciary and if Ghana, a smaller
country could suspend 22 judges over bribery allegation and probed 12
others, the NJC must not play ostrich to these Salamic judgments being
delivered by tribunal judges.

“Those judges, who gave the Taraba State judgment, which is totally
against the Electoral Act 2010 (as amended) and the one who took N15
million bribe in Yobe State must be investigated by the NJC.”

While also accusing INEC of being part of the conspiracy against the
PDP, the governor wondered why the commission did not raise any
objection to Governor Ishaku’s participation in the election when his name was submitted as PDP candidate, only for the commission to now cook up report against the PDP at the tribunal.

According to him, “there are serving governors and senators in this country, who took part in the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential primary election. After failing to pick the APC presidential ticket, their names surfaced as gubernatorial and senatorial candidates of APC in their respective States. Can INEC tell Nigerians when it took part in the process that produced those senators and governors as APC candidates”?.

“There are also those who left PDP to become APC candidates, can INEC tell Nigerians where the primary elections that produced them were held?
This double-standard and conspiracy from INEC and a section of the
judiciary against the PDP must stop because it is becoming more obvious that those who used the military to truncate democracy in 1983 are out to use a section of the judiciary to truncate our hard earned democracy”, Fayose stated.