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Emergency Rule Looms in Ekiti - Obj Tongue-Lashes Fayose, Warns Him

P.M. News (Lagos)
NEWS
September 13, 2004
Posted to the web September 13, 2004

Following last weekend's attempt on the life of the Chairman of Ado-Ekiti Local
Government, Taiye Fasuba and the subsequent bloody protest by his supporters in
the Ekiti State capital, President Olusegun Obasanjo, has warned Governor Ayo
Fayose that he risks being removed and a state of emergency being declared in
the state.
Giving this warning at a meeting he held with the governor and some traditional
rulers from the state, who were summoned to Abuja yesterday, President Obasanjo
reportedly tongue-lashed Fayose for allowing a mere disagreement between him
and the Ado Ekiti Council boss to degenerate into armed attack on the council
boss.
At the meeting were the Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Tafa Balogun, Mr.
Taiye Fasuba, deputy commissioner of Police, Ondo State, Mr. Ebenezer Owoeye,
deputy commissioner of police, Ekiti State, Mr. Patrick Egbuniwe,
representatives of the Ewi of Ado Ekiti, Oba Rufus Adejugbe and Chief Afe
Babalola, SAN.
Sources at the meeting told P.M.News that President Obasanjo was mad at Fayose
when the latter told him that Fasuba had been undermining his government by
criticising him and collaborating with his (Fayose) enemies to truncate his
policies in the state.
Obasanjo was said to have warned the Ekiti governor to stop all forms of
politically-motivated attacks on his perceived opponents, adding that if such a
thing happens again, he would not hesitate to declare a state of emergency in
the state.
The president, it was learnt, ordered the Inspector-General of Police to look
into the allegation that the Ekiti State deputy commissioner of police failed
to act after being informed of the attack on Fasuba and that Balogun should
clean up the police in the state.
In pursuance of this directive, Balogun is expected to visit Ekiti State
tomorrow to assess the situation and carry out a major reorganisation of the
police in the state.
At the end of the meeting, both Fayose and Fasuba were said to have embraced
each other. Fayose also asked Fasuba to join his convoy back to the state, but
the latter refused, saying he preferred to head back to the state on his own.
It would be recalled that about 30 armed men last Saturday stormed the
residence of Fasuba and attempted to assassinate him, but the council boss
overpowered two of his attackers, disarmed them and escaped to the palace of
Ewi of Ado Ekiti, Oba Adejugbe, who contacted the IGP for security, after the
state deputy commissioner of police failed to act.
Violence erupted after the attack, with thousands of residents of Ado Ekiti
hitting the streets to protest the attack on the council chairman.
The protesters blocked all major roads in the state capital, chanting anti-
government slogans and making bonfires at all strategic road intersections.
It was gathered that Governor Fayose was in Lagos, precisely at a night club
located on Victorial Island during the attack.
Oba Adejugbe briefed the President on the attack.
Following this, the President summoned Fayose, Fasuba and other prominent Ekiti
indigenes to Abuja to resolve the crisis.
P.M.News recalls that sometime ago, Fayose stopped allocation of funds to
councils in Ekiti, accusing the council chairmen of maladministration.
This did not go down well with Chief Afe Babalola, who warned him to restore
the allocation or he would be forced to report him to Mr. President.
Meanwhile, P.M.News gathered that indigenes of Ekiti State residing on Lagos
would meet tomorrow to assess the situation in the troubled state.

   

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