Lagos Lawyer Urges INEC to Prosecute Fayose, Others

Court grants Fayemi access to electoral materials

Gboyega Akinsanmi in Lagos and Victor Ogunje in Ado Ekiti

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has been asked to prosecute the Ekiti State Governor, Mr. Ayodele Fayose, his Deputy, Prof. Kolapo Olusola and the acting Chairman of Ekiti State Broadcasting Corporation, Mr. Lere Olayinka for alleged violation of the Electoral Act, 2010 during the July 14 governorship election.

This is coming as the Election Petition Tribunal Sitting in Ado Ekiti, the Ekiti State capital yesterday granted the Governor-elect and the candidate of the All Progressives

Congress (APC) in the July 14 governorship election in the state, Dr. Kayode Fayemi

access to materials used for the conduct of the election.

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate in the election Prof. Olusola had last Friday filed a 700-page petition against Fayemi.

The request for INEC to prosecute Fayose and others was contained in a letter a Lagos-based lawyer, Mr. Kabir Akingbolu addressed to the INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu yesterday, demanding that the trio of Fayose, Olusola and Olayinka (suspects) should be investigated and prosecuted for committing electoral offences during the just concluded election.

In a two-page letter, Akingbolu alleged that the suspects “deliberately breached several provisions of the Electoral Act, 2010 before, during and after the said election,” thereby committing electoral offences punishable under the Act.

The letter read in part: “The campaign of the suspects was tainted with abusive language, which injured religious, ethnic and sectional feelings contrary to section 95 (1) of the Electoral Act. The suspects threatened to make use of force and violence in contravention of section 131 (a) of the Electoral Act.

Meanwhile, the Election Petition Tribunal Sitting in Ado Ekiti yesterday granted Fayemi access to materials used for the conduct of the election.

The governor-elect and applicant in the suit, had on July 31 filed an application before the court that he and his party, APC be granted access to the materials to prosecute his case.

Delivering the judgement on the application, Justice Suleiman Belgore, said he decided to grant the application for the applicants (Fayemi and APC) to be able to defend the petition and in the spirit of fair hearing.