The All Progressives Congress in Ekiti State has asked Governor Ayodele Fayose to stop his relentless assaults on the judiciary.
The party also condemned Fayose’s threats and incitement of the public against the The Punch newspapers because it reported what happened at the tribunal.
A statement by its Publicity Secretary, Taiwo Olatubosun, condemned Tuesday’s violent attack on its members by suspected Peoples Democratic Party thugs in the premises of the Ekiti State Elections Petitions Tribunal hearing a petition on the March 28 Ekiti Central Senatorial District election between APC’s Gbenga Olofin and PDP’s candidate, Fatima Raji-Rasaki.
During Tuesday’s sitting, the tribunal had turned down the PDP candidate’s plea to reject Olofin’s request to admit voter register and card reader as exhibits in the case he instituted against Raji-Rasaki alleging fraud at the poll.
The PDP objected, asking the court to reject the request.
The judge rejected the objection.
Seen as a blow to the PDP candidate’s case, Raji-Rasaki’s supporters and scores of thugs in anger emerged from the nearby Government House to violently attack APC supporters within the court premises with several of them sustaining serious bodily harm, forcing the presiding judge to warn PDP leaders to control their supporters in their violent act.
Olatubosun expressed dismay over Fayose’s thugs alleged serial assaults on the judiciary, saying Tuesday’s incident “showed clearly that the governor, who keeps an army of thugs at the ready to strike against perceived enemies, has chosen violence as an art of governance”.
He added: “We condemn this act of violence that the governor has chosen as an instrument of governance. More condemnable is choosing the judiciary as the theatre of war.
“Last time, Fayose led thugs to the court to disrupt proceedings in the hearing on the suit challenging his qualification to contest the governorship election. To the chagrin of all, thugs in their hundreds with Fayose leading invaded the court, destroying court furniture and windows.
“Court records in the Chief Judge’s office were torn into shreds and Chief Judge’s Secretary thoroughly beaten. Not done, Justice Adeyeye was beaten black and blue and his coat torn by thugs.”
Olatubosun regretted that the public outrage generated by that despicable act had not dissuaded the governor from pursuing the path of violence in settling political scores.
He said: “Fayose has set a template in political conduct for his party to always unleash the thugs he keeps in the Government House on political opponents.
“Today, quartered thugs and criminals regularly stalk residents, with kidnappings on a scale never witnessed in Ekiti State since he assumed office, even as armed robbery cases soar.
“He instigated the judiciary workers into several months of closure to stall his qualification trial, thus also depriving other Ekiti people from accessing justice. Now when he wants to herd his political opponents into jail through trump-up charges, he had gone to beg judiciary workers to resume duties.”
Olatubosun said Fayose should not extend his harassment and clampdown to the media as he has done to the judiciary and the legislature.
The APC spokesman reminded Fayose that the era of impunity is gone, warning that the change that had come through President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration should not be toyed with as violators of the supreme law of the land would pay for their crimes.