*INEC wants to set Ondo on fire----Mimiko
*Mimiko's antics will not work-----Jimoh Ibrahim
*INEC confirmation of Jimoh Ibrahim shocking-----PDP
Riots erupted across many parts of
Ondo state yesterday as protesters trooped to the streets to protest
the substitution of the name of the Peoples' Democratic Party, PDP,
governorship candidate, Mr Eyitayo Jegede SAN by the Independent
National Electoral Commission (INEC) with that of Barrister Jimoh
Ibrahim for next month's governorship election in the state.
As early as 6.30am the rioters had
barricaded all the roads leading to Akure, the state capital chanting
war songs and paralysed both economic and social activities as
commercial banks and shops were closed down.
Workers and students were turned back
while commercial vehicle owners deserted the streets.
The protesters made burn fire on all
the major roads in the state and resisted all attempts by the
security agents to disperse them. In the midst of sporadic gunshots
and tear-gas by the combined team of security agents the protesting
youths remained undeterred.
Following the outbreak of riots in the
state, Governor Olusegun Mimiko hurriedly left the state for the
presidential villa to brief President Muhammadu Buhari saying what
INEC had done was capable of setting the state on fire.
He vowed that everything possible would
be done to make the commission reverse the decision, which he
described as shocking.
Saturday Vanguard gathered that similar
protests were recorded in Ondo town, Ore in Odigbo local government
area, Ilara, Idanre, Owo, Okitipupa, Isua Akoko, Ikare Akoko, Ipele
and many other towns and villages in the state.
Some of the protesters also stormed the
office of the INEC and were addressed by the Resident Electoral
Commissioner, (REC) Olusegun Agbaje, who explained the reason behind
the removal of Jegede as the PDP candidate.
Agbaje said “We received a court
order from the High Court in Akure on Wednesday but there was a
subsisting ruling by Justice Abang on Thursday and we had to comply
with the order"
He however said that another court
order can upturn the situation saying "the situation will
continue that way until the matter is decided by the Supreme Court if
the parties choose to proceed to the apex court. We do not have any
candidate but we will always abide by the laws guiding the process.”
Mimiko consults president
As a result of the uprising, Mimiko on
Friday morning quickly raced to the presidential villa to formally
intimate President Buhari on the developments in the state, appealing
to him to intervene in the matter at least to prevent the crisis from
escalating.
According to the governor, it was
shocking that INEC substituted Jegede with Ibrahim's name on the
final list of various parties' candidates, saying it was an act of
gross impunity.
He recalled that the election that
threw up Ibrahim was conducted in Ibadan, Oyo state and was not
supervised by the relevant bodies, wondering why Jegede whose
election took place in Ondo with the presence of INEC and security
agencies as monitors was set outside.
It will be recalled also that Ibrahim
was a product of Ali Modu Sheriff factional leadership of the PDP
while Jegede belonged to the Ahmed Markifi's faction.
Speaking to State House Correspondents
after his meeting with Buhari, Mimiko said the crisis in the state
could assume a wider dimension if the situation was not reversed.
He said: "I am shocked. In logic,
in law, in politics, there is no basis for it whatsoever. The Jimoh
Ibrahim factor in all of this is predicated on a court order given by
Justice Abang. Incidentally that court order is about zonal and state
executives of PDP. That order is about 2009 election. Neither Jimoh
Ibrahim nor Tayo jegede were parties to the suit.
"So, when that judgement suddenly
came and the name of Jimoh Ibrahim was sent to INEC after a primary
election which was conducted in Ibadan without INEC monitoring it,
without security agencies, SSS or police observing it, INEC took the
right decision initially by making it clear that it is not state or
zonal executive that is empowered by the Electoral Act to conduct
election and also that the Abang judgement on the basis of which they
were putting pressure on INEC to accept Jimoh Ibrahim as a candidate
was referring to 2009 election.
"There is nothing about 2016
election in that judgement. So, on the basis of this, INEC refused
and discountenanced the name of Jimoh Ibrahim as a candidate. Then,
they went ahead and filed form 48 and from the blues, the same
Justice Abang mandated INEC to replace the name of Eyitayo Jegede who
emerged through a primary process that was supervised by INEC,
security agencies with all delegates that were supposed to
participate. Justice Abang ordered that Jimoh Ibrahim should replace
Eyitayo Jegede. Ordinarily, we should have disregarded the order
because Jegede was not a party to the suit, neither was Jimoh
Ibrahim. But we were also advised that it was very important for us
to appeal so that if anybody is up to a mischief, we would have taken
the plank off the person.
"Immediately we appealed, that
notice of appeal especially when we had filed in our papers,
submitted our briefs and got a date, should serve as a stay of
execution.
"We don't want to take chances
because somebody in INEC told us that they obey the last order in the
commission. Some went to court and obtained two different orders
mandating INEC not to substitute Eyitayo Jegede. We served one on
INEC around 10 am yesterday, and we served INEC with the other one at
the close of business around 3 pm. But around 7 or 8 pm, we got to
know that INEC for no justifiable reason had substituted the name of
Jegede and replaced it with that of Ibrahim.
"The question to ask is on whose
order has INEC done that? Apart from the fact that we have two
restraining orders on INEC, INEC knows fully well that Jimoh
Ibrahim's primaries were held in Ibadan. There was no report by any
security agency that the security situation in Ondo state warranted
the movement of the primaries to Ibadan or anywhere outside the state
for that matter.
"Under INEC guidelines, the time
for substitution of candidates has even elapsed. This action
potentially can cause a breach of peace. In Ondo state in the last
seven and half years, we have done everything possible to put good
governance on the table. We see this action as potentially dangerous.
It can cause conflagration in the state and that is why as the chief
security officer of the state, I have come to alert Mr President of
the potential danger of this injustice so that we can nib it in the
bud."
Mimiko however stated that his
intervention on the protest in the state had yielded result.
"The whole day from 5am, I have
been on phone with stakeholders to ensure they keep the peace in the
state. The extent of the protest you have seen has been reduced by
our intervention to ensure that there is no breach of peace. For the
people of the state, it is just from the blues. I have assured them
that this injustice will not stay. We will continue to explore all
avenues to make INEC see reasons why this impunity must not stand.
"If INEC finds it difficult to
obey court order, a credible election starts with a process like
this".
Asked of the President's response to
his request, the governor said "Mr president has promised to
look into it and that if there is any injustice, we should be rest
assured that it will be rectified."
Mimiko's antics will not
work—---Jimoh Ibrahim
In his own reaction to the uprising,
the INEC recognised PDP governorship candidate in Ondo state,
Barrister Jimoh Ibrahim said the burning of tyres allegedly
orchestrated by Governor Mimiko was to give a false impression of
security challenge in the state but that the trick would not work.
In a statement he issued yesterday, he
said “yesterday, Mimiko called on the drivers’ union in the
state, whose chairman is his relative, to gather disused tyres across
the state and burn them so as to show that there are security
challenges in Akure town. While the tyres were burning, school
children were attending their classes, banks were opened, market
women and traders were carrying on their economic activities, and
courts were sitting”.
According to him, “regrettably,
Mimiko’s orthodoxy has played out to be fake, empty and unbecoming
of a person that occupies the position of the governor of a state. I
am happy to note that Mimiko eventually met with President Muhammadu
Buhari, a president that Governor Mimiko had described, in a meeting
with the former President Goodluck Jonathan, as unfit to govern
Nigeria and according to Governor Mimiko, the president does not have
a school certificate. Regrettably, this tyre burning for sympathy
will not work as Ondo State remains peaceful.
Akure monarch sues for peace
Meanwhile, Deji of Akureland Oba
Aladetoyinbo Aladelusi yesterday appealed to rioters across the state
to remain calm and be law abiding. In a statement last night, the Oba
appealed to the protesters to allow the law take its full course
The monarch, in the statement signed by
his Chief Press Secretary, Micheal Adeyeye said, "the Akure
Deji-in council at an emergency meeting presided over by the Deji and
paramount ruler of Akureland, Oba Aladetoyinbo Ogunlade Aladelusi
(Odundun II) today (yesterday) reviewed the list of gubernatorial
candidates as released by the Independent National Electoral
Commission (INEC) and the attendant effect of the substitution of the
name of Mr. Eyitayo Jegede (SAN) with that of Barrister Jimoh Ibrahim
as the candidate of the People’s Democratic Party in the 26th
November gubernatorial election in ondo state.
“The council equally reviewed the
statement credited to the Resident Electoral Commissioner who
confirmed that the matter remains a legal issue that will be
addressed by a higher court of law.
"In view of this, the
Deji-in-Council wishes to appeal to all residents and indigenes of
Akure to remain calm and be law abiding over this matter. The council
urges all and sundry to desist from making bon-fire and dismantle all
barricades along the major roads in Akure and its environs.
"The council admonishes all
parties that the current peace being enjoyed cannot be compromised
under any guise as there is no substitute for peace. The council
wishes to thank and appreciate the law enforcement agencies for
carrying out their lawful duties with every sense of responsibility
and a high level of professionalism. The council advised all
residents to go about the normal and lawful duties without any fear
or favour.
INEC confirmation of Jimoh Ibrahim
shocking------PDP
Meantime, the Peoples Democratic Party
has said that the confirmation of Jimoh Ibrahim as the candidate of
the Peoples Democratic Party was shocking and surprising
In a statement yesterday, the
spokesman of the party, Dayo Adeyeye said the commission monitored
the Primary Election conducted in Akure, Ondo State by the Senator
Ahmed Mohammed Makarfi led PDP which produced Hon. Eyitayo Jegede,
SAN, and did not monitor the purported primary election that
produced Barrister Jimoh Ibrahim which was said to have held in
Ibadan, the Oyo State Capital.
"INEC cited the Order from Justice
Okon Abang of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court as the
reason for publishing Barr. Ibrahim’s name as PDP Candidate but
ignored another order from the Ondo State High Court, which is a
Court of Coordinate jurisdiction that compelled INEC
to maintain Hon. Eyitayo Jegede’s
name as the candidate of the PDP.
The least INEC could have done in the
circumstance was to maintain status quo and stick to its own earlier
decision pending a superior order or Judgment from a superior court.
But that did not happen in this case.
"This singular decision of INEC
has generated sporadic reactions from the electorates in Ondo state
leading to violent protest and damages. This could have been avoided
if INEC had adhered strictly to the letters and characters of the
Electoral Laws and the Constitution of the Federal Republic of
Nigeria.
"We therefore warn that external
forces should not sit in Abuja and set Ondo state ablaze. Whatever
authority in Abuja, whether it's the executive that is using the
judiciary or vise versa, must realize that they cannot for selfish
political reasons toy with the fate of millions of people in Ondo
state. Who emerges governor of the state should be the decision of
the electorates themselves through the ballot and not from any organ
of the Federal Government in Abuja.
"It is a known facts that Ondo
people are politically sophisticated and any attempt to truncate the
will of the people will be resisted vehemently. References should be
made to the 1965/66 and 1983 political violence in the west that
brought about the collapse of the 1st and the2nd Republic. We should
therefore be careful not to repeat history.
"Finally, we call on the people of
Ondo State to eschew violence and remain calm. We believe in the rule
of law and the matter is already in the Appeal Court, and we are
certain that the PDP shall get justice on this issue and Hon. Eyitayo
Jegede will be returned to contest under the platform of our great
Part" he said.
Jegede remains our
flagbearer-----Ondo PDP
Also, the Chairman of the PDP in Ondo
state, Chief Clement Faboyede has argued that "the event
culminating in replacing Jegede is a crude hallmark and handiwork of
some moles in PDP and some highly placed government officials of APC
at the federal level"
He submitted that the moles within the
PDP believed that removing Jegede from the race will pave way for
easier manipulation of the election results in favour of the APC
candidate
He however said that Eyitayo Jegede
remained the flagbearer of PDP saying "it is not the duty of any
court to impose or dictate candidate for the party. It is a pre
election matters and the Supreme Court which is the highest organ of
judiciary in the land has said it severally that pre election is not
a matter of the court."
He called on President Muhammadu Buhari
to be father to all and should give room to a level playing ground
for the nation's democracy to survive and allow the wish of the
people to prevail, noting that the people of the state voted for
Buhari in the 2015 election despite being controlled by PDP
government. He commended the protesters for not taking laws into
their hands while he urged security agents not to use force to
disperse peaceful protesters.
I will not jettison my
mandate-----Jegede
The rejected candidate, Eyitayo Jegede
in his reaction expressed optimism that the Appeal Court would
revalidate his mandate to fly the Flag of the Peoples Democratic
Party [PDP] in next month's election. Jegede said attempts to
substitute his name will not stand as justice would be done at the
appeal court.
"I am aware of a recent litigation
resulting in the announcement of another person as the governorship
candidate of our great party, the Peoples Democratic Party. However,
I wish to assure our teeming supporters in Ondo State that necessary
legal steps have been taken to seek justice. Already, the matter is
before the Court of Appeal"
He thanked the people of the state for
their support and steadfastness since the campaign activities began
and their total commitment to his lofty programmes designed to take
Ondo to greater heights.
Jegede assured that he will not for any
reason jettison the mandate freely given to him by generality of PDP
members in the state.
APC, INEC want to kill
democracy----Fayose
also reacting, Governor Ayodele Fayose
of Ekiti state has described the recognition of Mr. Jimoh Ibrahim
as the PDP candidate for the November 26 governorship poll in Ondo
State by INEC as dangerous to democracy. Arguing that what INEC did
amounted to rigging the Ondo State governorship election in advance,
Fayode accused the All Progressives Congress (APC) of turning the
INEC into its department and willing tool that can be deployed at
will to manipulate election. Fayose said recognising someone who
did not emerge through any known electoral process signalled the end
of democracy in the country.
At a press conference in Ado Ekiti on
Friday, Fayose said the recognition granted Ibrahim had further
confirmed his fear that the APC had the intention of turning the
country into a one-party state.
According to him, “The question to
ask INEC is; having accepted the candidate presented by the
Makarfi-led PDP National Caretaker Committee for the Edo State
election, relying on the judgment of the Federal High Court,
Port-Harcourt, despite the Abuja Federal High Court order at that
time, what has changed? Obviously, it is either INEC is playing
double-standard or has descended into the arena.
“With the development in Ondo Guber
election and the decision of the Independent National Electoral
Commission (INEC), it is clear that INEC is a department in APC led
federal government. By this development also, I am vindicated that
other political parties and stakeholders are now contesting election
against INEC.
