It was a triumphal entry for Ekiti State Governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, Saturday evening as he received a tumultuous welcome from the residents of the state as he arrived Ado-Ekiti, the state capital after Friday’s Supreme Court verdict which re- affirmed his stay in the Government House.
The apex court, had in a unanimous judgment threw out the application of the ousted governor, Mr. Segun Oni, of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) who was seeking a review of the October 15, 2010 verdict of the Court of Appeal, Ilorin which sacked him from office.
A huge crowd of supporters had thronged the Akure Airport as early as 1pm on Saturday to await Fayemi’s arrival. The crowd went into a frenzy, singing vitory songs as soon as Fayemi’s plane landed at the airport. They later formed a long convoy of vehicles and trailed the governor’s convoy to Ado-enroute Ikere, where another crowd of supporters joined in the celebration.
The crowd tripled in Ado-Ekiti, compelling the long convoy of vehicles to move at a snail speed. Governor Fayemi who was acknowledging cheers from the jubilant crowd from Ajilosun end of the town, later addressed them at Ejigbo junction.
Fayemi who expressed appreciation for the people for their demonstrated support for his administration, also declared his readiness to probe Oni for various transactions carried out during his illegal three-and-half year regime, maintaining that large-scale fraud was perpetrated before the PDP was sent packing from the corridors of power in the state.
With the distraction of the Supreme Court case over, Fayemi vowed to institute a probe into the management of the state finances under Oni and how the micro-credit funds were disbursed.
He also pledged to revisit contracts awarded by Oni, which were allegedly used to massively loot the treasury of the state and monies believed to have been stolen by the officials of the ousted administration.
The governor stressed that the victory obtained by himself and his party, the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), would serve as a tonic for better performance and an opportunity to sustain good governance being enjoyed in the state.
Party faithful, interest groups and members of the public had been waiting for Fayemi since morning but the governor did not arrive Ado-Ekiti until about 5.20 pm.
The governor had touched down at the Akure Airport where he was met by top government functionaries , including the Head of Service, and drove to Ado-Ekiti amidst pomp and pageantry.
Before his arrival in Ado-Ekiti, a big crowd had welcomed Fayemi at Ikere-Ekiti, the second largest town in the state where residents sang and danced praising God for giving governor the victory at the nation’s highest court.
The state ACN Chairman led party chiefs and other interest group leaders to welcome Fayemi.
Fayemi’s arrival in the state capital sparked a huge carnival-like celebration as the governor who waved the broom, the symbol of his party, from the open-top of a Mercedes Benz bus he was riding.
There was a massive traffic snarl on all the roads where the governor passed until he and his train reached the Government House.
Fireworks lit up the sky as the procession moved slowly with the governor acknowledging cheers from residents who lined up the streets.
Addressing the crowd in front of the ACN secretariat at Ajilosun area of Ado-Ekiti, Fayemi praised the Supreme Court judges for the courage displayed in delivering the judgment which sealed the hope of the PDP to come back to power.
Fayemi expressed joy that the Supreme Court justices delivered a 7-0 judgment against Oni and his party noting that the verdict had brought joy to all lovers of the rule of law within and outside the country.
He said, “Any house built with spittle shall crumble, we are standing on the rock of the truth and that is why we are not afraid when these jesters took their case to the Supreme Court.
“We are for the development of Ekiti which all of you had seen with what we have used your resources for because we don’t believe in sharing the money belonging to our people.
“With the conclusion of this case, they should be ready to account for how they stole our money, the contracts they used to siphon our money and all the micro-credit money they stole.
“In law they had no case and we knew they would come back to Ekiti from the court with their tails within their legs. They even said Fayemi had run away from Ekiti but here I am.
“On the day judgment was delivered, Oni had stayed in his house in Ifaki expecting to move to the Government House, what a wishful thinking?
“We thank God for validating our election and this will reinvigorate us to work harder because we have more work to do and I want to assure our people that the best is yet to come.”
The entire Ado-Ekiti metropolis was in a carnival mood as the long procession of vehicles, okada riders and party supporters sand and danced to the Government House complex.
The Deputy Governor, Prof Modupe Adelabu and the Wife of the Governor, Erelu Bisi Fayemi had led other top government dignitaries, including the Secretary to the State Government, Alhaji Ganiyu Owolabi; Chief of Staff, Mr Yemi Adaramodu; Head of Service, Mr Bunmi Famosaya and state commissioners as well as chairmen of the 16 local government councils to welcome the governor to the state.
The welcome party which arrived Ado-Ekiti by 6pm did not get to the Government House until 8pm owing to the masive crowd.
Last modified: June 2, 2013
