EKITI: The predicted drama begins THE overwhelming loss of Governor Kayode Fayemi of APC at the June 22 Ekiti State Governorship election to PDP’s Ayo Fayose, a man whose first tenure as governor was dogged by controversies, has not stopped raising apprehension over the future of the state. There are fears that the governor may be cut to size by the State House of Assembly controlled by the All Progressives Congress,APC. And Fayose appears to be offering himself for the kill . Though not all the happenings on the side of the administration were found worrisome by observers, there are concerns over the reduction in number of ministries, scrapping of newly created local governments and the fuzz over new government house. Others include: Purpoted impeachment of the Speaker of the House, Dr. Adewale Omirin by seven PDP lawmakers, alleged freezing of the House of Assembly’s account, closure of T-Five Integrated Service Filling Station, owned by Omirin; bribery allegations against the House; controversial confirmation of commissionership nominees by PDP legislators, sacking of the political aides of the Speaker and his deputy and reversal of the appointments of eight permanent secretaries. Despite backing most policies with assurance that they were done in the interest of the state, the feeling that much attention has not been accorded to real governance is widespread. It is particularly so, considering the fact that the ruling party has resorted to exchanging tirades with the opposition-a tendency that could distract Fayose from providing the much-needed good governance in Ekiti. Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in the state, Mr. Jide Awe, told Vanguard that governance has been relegated to the backwaters. ”A lot has been happening in the past one month. These are not what the people expected. Our initial comments condemned most of these anomalies. Unfortunately, more are still happening,” he regretted. Expatiating further, Awe noted: ”The judiciary has been crippled. Now it is the turn of the legislature. Even the executive is not spared because the civil service is part of the executive. Governance is about making life easier for the people but that has not happened in Ekiti since the coming of this administration. The people cannot be asking for bread and you are giving them stone. They must apply caution in the interest of the people. Some of the anti-people policies represent a tip of the iceberg. I think the administration has not been carrying on well because people are dragged to the extreme.” Another person, who shares Awe’s grief is the Chairman National Coalition for Accountable Governance, NCAG, Comrade Bayo Adewusi. He said: ”We are at it again in Ekiti. We saw it coming but the people made their choice. The descent to doom has commenced. Our fears have been confirmed. Now that it is at the teething state, we expect the eminent persons of Ekiti origin to save this administration from self-destruct.” However, the state chapter of the PDP dismissed assertions that governance had been neglected since October 16, 2014. The party’s scribe, Mr. Kole Oluwawole said: ”How can they claim that governance has been neglected when the House of Assembly has refused to do its work? If we were not concerned about governance we would not have submitted the list of our nominees to the House. We followed the due process stipulated by the law but the House has refused to do its job. They have been giving flimsy reasons for refusing to perform the jobs they were elected to do.” He was referring to the governor’s list for political appointments which the House has not approved. APC dominated House of Assembly appears set to challenge the governor in many ways and good governance may be sacrificed. This is the stage in Ekiti at the moment. For him, the issues of governance should not be treated along partisan lines, adding that the PDP would not allow itself to be distracted from its vision. ”When the APC makes statements, it seems they lack the right words to capture the happenings in the state. The House should stop being partisan and perform its constitutional duties. As a responsible government, we have been working hard to ensure that we meet the expectations of the people. We will not be deterred by their attempts at stifling the business of governance,”Oluwawole added.
Posted on: Wed, 26 Nov 2014 05:19:54 +0000
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