Ekiti State governor, Ayodele Fayose has called on the judiciary to rise in defence of democracy by dispensing justice fearlessly, speedily and with honesty in the Ondo State election cases and other political cases before the courts.

Governor Fayose, who hailed the President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Zainab Bulkachuwa for the swift composition of a new panel to hear appeals over the governorship candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in Ondo State, urged the panel to be mindful of delay tactics by the same people who wrote frivolous petitions to impugn on the integrity of the initial panel.

In a statement yesterday by Special Assistant to the Governor on Public Communications and New Media, Lere Olayinka, Fayose urged the new appeal panel to “do justice unto God and not unto powers that be and be mindful that justice delayed is justice denied.”
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The governor condemned the silence of President Muhammadu Buhari on the Ondo State matter, saying: “Silence of the president on a matter that poses serious threat to democracy in the country is highly disturbing,” adding,” no doubt democracy in Nigeria is being threatened by the open collaboration of the APC-led Federal Government with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and only a God fearing judiciary can save the situation from getting out of hands.”

He added: “In its desperation to distract the PDP and rig the Ondo State election in advance for the APC, INEC has chosen to abandon its own law by endorsing someone who did not emerge through any known electoral process as the candidate of the PDP, thereby plunging Ondo State into crisis.

“There is no doubt that all other political parties in Nigeria except the APC are now contesting elections against INEC. But like every affliction of the Israelites, this too will not endure
forever.

“The new appeal panel must, therefore, do its job speedily and timely so that the rez is not destroyed and in the process destroy what is remaining of our democracy. The panel should remember the Biblical Solomon judgment that saved that harlot and her child and must not allow enemies of democracy to use delay tactics to frustrate the case.”

Fayose said it was worrisome that in its bid to turn Nigeria into a one-party state, the judiciary was being harassed and intimidated to submission.“We are at a critical junction in our history as a nation, noble men are becoming helpless daily and we need God to intervene through the judiciary.

“If the judiciary fails to rise to this perilous situation and save our democracy from the hands of the APC cabal, it will not survive the onslaught that will be brought on it sooner than later,” he said.

While calling on the people of Ondo State to stand up and defend democracy in their state, Governor Fayose assured that
anti-democracy elements that are trying to manipulate the November 26 election in advance will be defeated by the collective will of the people.

He charged the government to put food on the tables of Nigerians instead of preoccupying itself with political expansion agenda.