Ekiti: Fayemi, Eleka reach truce as Supreme Court affirms APC’s victory

By Gbenga Sodeinde, Ado Ekiti

Governor of Ekiti state, Dr Kayode Fayemi on Friday extended the olive branch to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate in the last election, Prof. Kolapo Olusola, urging his challenger to join him in building an economically viable Ekiti state that would serve the populace.

The governor called for the truce as the Supreme Court on Friday, dismissed Olusola’s appeal and declared Fayemi as the winner of the July 14, 2018 governorship poll.

There was wild jubilation in Ado Ekiti, capital of the Ekiti state as news filtered into town that Fayemi won at the apex court in the litigation filed against his re-election in 2018.

It was a double celebration at the Ekiti Government House as Fayemi had on Wednesday won the chairmanship of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF).

Fayemi, who just returned to Ekiti from Abuja, said Olusola is an accomplished Ekiti person going by what he had read and heard about him and that he was ready to work with him to move Ekiti higher.

“Prof. Olusola Eleka is an illustrious Ekiti person. Though, I am not close to him, but with what I have heard and read about him, he is an accomplished Ekiti man.

“He had served this state as a deputy governor and having pursued his case to the Supreme Court, he should forget about party politics. He should come to Ekiti party; that is where we all belong, so that we can serve our people better and in a more beneficial way,” he said.

Also, Fayemi described both his appointment as the NGF chairman and his court’s victory as signals of good things to come for Ekiti and the South West.

Speaking further on the verdict, the governor said: “I have to give glory to God for finally bearing testimony to the fact that the election that brought me into office was credible and that the primary of my party was the best ever conducted by any party in the history of our nation.

“It also bears testimony to the fact that the so called white papers which indicted me was meant for nowhere but a trash can. The Supreme Court said the foundation trial courts did a yeoman’s job by saying the election in Ekiti was substantially compliant with the provisions of the law.

“Let me thank the Supreme Court for putting finality to this endless litigation because distraction is bound to happen when you have endless cases in court.”

Meanwhile, the PDP governorship candidate in the last governorship election, Prof. Kolapo Olusola has congratulated Gov. Kayode Fayemi on his victory at the Supreme Court, imploring him to focus on governance without bitterness. 

Olusola, who said his own brand of politics, is without bitterness, but of development and service called on all PDP members in the state to put the past behind them and unite to move the party forward.

While thanking Ekiti people for standing by him all through the court cases, Olusola restated that “my consolation at this time is that the people of Ekiti, as well as Fayemi and the APC knew I was robbed and God being God, the true story shall be told someday by those who orchestrated the theft.

“The least expectations of Ekiti people from Fayemi and APC now is that they should reduce the people’s pains by governing well so the people do not suffer double loss having now lost their mandate freely given.

“I urge Ekiti people to maintain peace and keep hope alive,” adding that everyone including himself will cooperate to move Ekiti forward as the state is greater than any individual.