In this
interview with Punch correspondent, the Deputy Speaker of the Ekiti
State House of Assembly during the tenure of ex-governor Ayo Fayose, Mr. Taiwo
Olatubosun, speaks on the former governor’s impeachment and governorship
ambition
Former
Governor Ayo Fayose has said he was illegally impeached by the House of
Assembly. As the deputy speaker in the Fayose administration can you explain
what happened in 2006?
It is true that
impeachment proceedings were made against Fayose. At that time, I was on the
minority side in the Assembly because I did not agree with the impeachment
move. Because I was representing Irepodun/Ifelodun Constituency II where Fayose
comes from, I had the responsibility of protecting my constituency’s interest
and since politics is all about interest, I was selected to go and protect the
interest of my people and there was no reason for me to impeach the governor.
So, I threw my weight behind him and resisted all attempts to impeach him but
the fact of the matter is that the majority of the House of Assembly, precisely
24 of them, went ahead to serve him an impeachment notice and the impeachment
took place at the House of Assembly. I was released from the Economic and
Financial Crime Commission detention a day before the impeachment sitting and I
summoned up the courage to present myself at the Assembly and I still shouted
no to the impeachment but that did not in any way affect the proceedings of the
Assembly. It is a normal saying that while the majority will have their way,
the minority will have their say. I had my say alongside another member. We
were two in support of Fayose while 24 were against him and that day both
Fayose and his deputy were impeached with majority votes. We did a voice vote
and everyone was also counted.
Still on
Fayose’s impeachment; what was the procedure and why did the Assembly suspend
the Chief Justice before removing the governor?
The House of
Assembly does not need the permission of the Chief Judge of a state before an
impeachment could be carried out. There are laid down rules. It is the
prerogative of the Assembly to impeach in line with the constitution. The
constitution says once the notice of impeachment has been sent to the governor,
then it is the duty of the Chief Judge of a state to select a panel comprising
people of proven integrity to look at the allegations and see whether they are
actually in line with the provisions of the constitution and whether the
allegations constitute impeachable offences. What is required of a judge is to
be unbiased and devoid of any influence from the executive but where it is
suspected or proved that a judge has been influenced, such a judge could be
changed and another one appointed. But it is not that the Assembly requires the
permission of the Chief Judge to carry out impeachment against an erring chief
executive.
What do you
see Ekiti State becoming if Fayose becomes governor?
Having been a victim
of his violent act, I don’t see him as being qualified to occupy the Ekiti
State Government House. It is not an error that he could not manage the state.
He is not a brand new person as is being claimed by Peoples Democratic Party
leaders. It is not an error that he could not even tolerate his immediate
political family. For a leadership that we can be proud of, I feel Fayose is
not qualified. He is not credible neither is he accountable. Anybody that
assumes the position of God is not qualified to lead. Someone who is selfish
cannot lead. He is not in the class of Kayode Fayemi. I don’t think Ekiti
people want to go back to the period of one day, one trouble. We don’t want a
governor who will pass under barbed wire for any reason. He has transformed
from the humble Fayose we knew before he came into politics to a dictator. Now
there is stability and egalitarianism in Ekiti and we want Fayemi to continue.
There have been four governors in Ekiti but why is it only Fayose that is
having problem of graft with the EFCC and Independent Corrupt Practices
Commission? It means something is wrong. Fayose has no manifesto. All he keeps
saying is that he is back and better.
But Fayose
says he is not a violent man.
He sponsored an
attack on me during the rerun in 2009 but that day I was not in my vehicle. Two
of my vehicles were destroyed. In 2011, he was physically present at the party
secretariat. Because I had a different opinion from him, his thugs attacked me.
We were to submit the names of the people that would supervise the ward
congress and he asked my group that we should submit two names and I did. He
submitted two names as well. There was a misunderstanding and he said I was
disrespecting him and he instigated his boys to beat me. I was about leaving
the place when one of his boys challenged me and one hit me with a cup from behind
and they dragged me to the front of the office and beat the hell out of me.
They tore my clothes.
