Fayemi mocks Governor Ayo Fayose, says his supposed 10-year restriction on seeking public office is a big joke

Former governor of Ekiti state now the minister of Mines and Steel development, Kayode Fayemi, has reacted to the 10-year ban slammed on him from holding political office, by an Ekiti state government's judicial commision of Enquiry.

Governor Ayo Fayose yesterday adopted the recommendations of the Judicial Commission of Enquiry that investigated Fayemi's term in office. The commission after its investigations, had recommended that Fayemi be banned from holding any political office in the state and in Nigeria. 

Reacting to the report, Fayemi in a statement issued on his behalf by his senior special assistant on media, Yinka Oyebode, said the commissions recommendation is “a big joke”.

Fayemi in the statement stressed that Governor Ayo Fayose and his government don't have the constitutional powers to ban him from holding political office, either in Ekiti or any part of Nigeria.

“While we believe it is part of the responsibilities of the state administration to look into the finances of the state at any point in time, we are also of the belief that such must be done in a very responsible manner devoid of prejudice, witch hunting and a calculated attempt to victimise a citizen. In this particular case, the entire process is discredited right from the beginning, as the only agenda of the panel was to rubbish Fayemi’s public service record. One is therefore not surprised at the recommendations of the white paper, it only goes to confirm our initial position that the panel was compromised right from inception and targeted against the former governor. In his desperation, Fayose chose the crude and ignoble path towards hitting a perceived political foe. In the process, they ignored the rule of law and behaved as if the court does not matter, thus making their actions subjudiced to the court. Fayose was misguided into believing that he could pass a death sentence on Fayemi’s public service with the white paper, this is not only laughable, but ridiculous, as neither him nor his paid agents have the power to bar anyone from political participation. The entire process and the character personae involved are discredited and since it is impossible to build something on nothing, legally speaking, their recommendation is not only null and void, it is a joke taken too far. We urge the teeming supporters of the minister, the good people of Ekiti state and the general public not to be disturbed by the development, it is simply another act of illegality, from an administration that has elevated political debauchery to state craft.”