Fashola: Don’t Sweep Fayose’s Case Under Carpet

In the aftermath of Ekiti State governorship poll, Governor Babatunde Fashola has alerted the public that the governor-elect, Ayodele Fayose still has criminal case in court, saying that such case must not be swept under the carpet.

The governor spoke with newsmen on Wednesday after meeting with Vice Chairmen of Local overnments and Local Council Development Areas, LCDAs at the State House, Marina, Lagos, Southwest Nigeria.

According to Fashola, “I want everyone to remember that the governor elect, his party told everyone that he has criminal issue to answer. They removed him and took him to court. They haven’t come to tell Nigerians that he has been acquainted.

“And they bring him back to the same state, is that consistent with human behaviour with this result? Will human being behaves like that? Memories may have faded, but do they all fade such that the same governor now defeats an incumbent whom everyone said that has done well for his people in all local government.”

“There are issues that I think we need to ponder and ask about what really happened. From the human behavioural angle, is there any governor that has lost election like this in the country? If they say that the governor is elitist, where would one express his elitist qualities if not in Ekiti State?” He asked.

However, described Fayose’s victory at the last weekend governorship election in Ekiti as frightening to democracy in view of the fact that people were induced with money to vote, saying that the election was not foreclosed.

According to him, a week before the election, people could predict that the result that showed Fayose of People’s Democratic Party (PDP) as the winner could be in favour of the main opposition party’s candidate.

The governor lamented that the Ekiti people voted for Fayose as a result of money, while ignoring the achievement of Governor Kayode Fayemi in the state.

“Even if Governor Fayemi is speaking too much English they don’t understand, would they say his deputy and the Speaker of the State House of Assembly is speaking too much English too? It is a wearisome lesson to learn. However, the governor- elect still has criminal case to answer.

“They have not told us what will happen to that case. Is that consistent with the behaviour of the people? There are issues that cropped up to ponder on and questions to ask. No incumbent governor has lost election like this in this country to my understanding. Is this the way to reward a governor that embarked on massive infra structural development in Ekiti State,” he asked.

“So, the lessons that are supposedly coming out of Ekiti are frightening lessons for me. Lesson about whether the people of Ekiti are really saying that this was all about money and rice. This is because that is very easy to do. Developmental work is difficult to initiate and to execute. And developmental work that brings on change which is what every election ask for, will also from time to time occasion debates and policy trust. And which legitimately must be criticized.

“But it must be a very dangerous message to simply suggest that once you give people money, then this is the way it will happen. It is frightening for me in a democracy. But it raises the question of what we have been doing for seven years. Should we just be giving money and when people ask about security, we say that we have giving you money, go and rent your own security?

“When people ask for healthcare, we say that you have collected money. Is that the model for development? These are lessons and I am not suggesting that we monopolies the debate about what the best policy is. But I am saying that there must be another side. There must be a debate. The debate that recognizes that development comes at a cost. And that even those that are privilege to serve, don’t claim to have a monopoly of ideas,” he added.