Ekiti State Commissioner for Information and Civic Orientation, Mr. Tayo Ekundayo has said that there was no court order restraining the State Independent Electoral Commission (SIEC) from conducting last weekend’s referendum on the creation of Local Council Development
Areas (LCDA) in the state.
Tayo Ekundayo
The Commissioner who made this known in press release made a available to newsmen in Ado-Ekiti said contrary to the statements credited to the Governor Elect, Mr. Ayodele Fayose that the referendum was held in contravention of a subsisting order of an Ado-Ekiti High Court, Ekundayo stated that no such order exists as the purported judgment which ruled that the EKSIEC was not properly constituted had been set aside by the Court of Appeal, Ado-Ekiti in March.
According to Ekundayo apart from quashing the judgment of the State High Court on the constitution of the SIEC, the Court of Appeal judgment in the ruling asked all parties involved in the matter to return to the status quo which allowed the Chairman and members of the
SIEC to return to their duty posts to perform their statutory functions which include the conduct of elections and plebiscites.
While restating the commitment of the Fayemi-Administration to the rule of law, he said the large turnout of people of the affected council areas for the referendum last weekend was a clear confirmation of the desire of the people to have new councils that will bring development nearer to them.
The Commissioner said contrary to what was being insinuated in the opposition camp that the Local Government Development Areas were created to cause trouble for the in coming administration, the process of the creation of the councils actually began in February when
governor Fayemi, responding to requests from communities across the state, set up a committee of eminent citizens including a retired High Court Judge, academics, eggheads in the administration to work out modalities for the creation of the new councils. The process,
Ekundayo said, began before the June 21st election and continues thereafter.
Ekundayo also described as untrue statements credited to Mr. Fayose that the State Government recently employed 3000 workers into the State Civil Service. He also added that Government is not aware of any mass recruitment to the Ekiti State University as the institution may recruit staff based on existing vacancies and need which Government does not get involved in.
Concerning the issue of the N25b bond which the Government took from the capital market, Ekundayo stated that nothing was hidden from the public and that the projects which the bond money was used to execute are all over Ekiti State for all to see. He also stated that more than half of the bond has been redeemed by the Government.
The Commissioner who noted that Governor Fayemi had interacted with the Governor elect however stressed that the tenure of the Fayemi – Administration would not end until 15th October, 2014.
Concluding, Mr. Ekundayo advised the Governor Elect to tarry a while until when he assumes office on October 16th to start behaving as Governor during when he will have access to all information that he may require. He reminded the Governor Elect that the Government does
not require Mr. Fayose’s permission to run the affairs of the State till power is handed over on 16th of October, 2014.