Ekiti 2018: Buhari approves Fayemi’s leave to contest

President Muhammadu Buhari has approved a leave request from the minister of mines and steel development. Kayode Fayemi’s leave was approved to enable him participate in the forthcoming Ekiti gubernatorial election.

The minister’s special assistant in a statement made available to newsmen said Fayemi’s leave will commence on Monday, April 30

A leave application made by the minister of mines and steel development, Kayode Fayemi, has been approved by President Muhammadu Buhari.

Daily Independent reports that Fayemi’s leave request was granted to enable him participate actively in the governorship election in Ekiti state scheduled to hold in July.

The special assistant to Fayemi on media, Yinka Oyebode on Sunday, April 22, said the minister’s leave will commence on Monday, April 30.

Oyebode said the information became imperative in order to educate certain individuals calling for Fayemi’s disqualification over non-resignation from his present position as a minister before joining the Ekiti gubernatorial race.

He said: “They are ignorant of the workings of the party and the laws of the land. You can’t sit down in your house and determine who is going to be disqualified. The party has a machinery to look at every case on its merit and that is why you have the screening committee.

“There is due process in nomination and screening before you even get to the primary. There is no law in the land that says that a serving minister should vacate his seat before the primary.

What the law says is 30 days before the election. As a matter of fact, the honourable minister has been granted leave. He applied for leave and it will commence upper Monday.

“Talking about the white paper, everybody knows that you can’t build something on nothing. The minister had earlier challenged the composition of that panel.

The case is in court and that is why he did not appear before the panel. The white paper will not stand. It is only a court of competent jurisdiction that can recommend disqualification of Fayemi.

“It is only when the court says that that the party and INEC take a cue from it. An individual or a sitting governor cannot disqualify anybody. That is why the law has put it that white paper alone can’t disqualify anybody. It is only a court of competent jurisdiction that can do that. The group is poorly educated about the working of the party and the constitution,” he concluded.

The minister said his party, the All Progressives Congress (APC) will ensure that the out-going governor is locked up over alleged corrupt practices.

Fayemi also said he joined the gubernatorial race in the state because he had some unfinished businesses to take care of in Ekiti state.