Dismissed judge can’t head Ekiti SIEC, PDP tells Fayemi

Ekiti State Chapter of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has berated Governor Kayode Fayemi for appointing an allegedly dismissed Justice Jide Aladejana as Chairman of Ekiti State Independent Electoral Commission (EKSEIC), saying that the appointment has created a burden on the electoral body.

The PDP said that the governor’s action showed that he had zero concern for morality in democracy.

In a statement by the state PDP Publicity Secretary, Mr. Jackson Adebayo, the party queried how an allegedly dismissed judge in the state judiciary could be made to head a sensitive body that is saddled with the conduct of local council election when there were many qualified Ekiti sons and daughters.

The party reminded Fayemi that all attempts by the dismissed judge to overturn his dismissal was over-ruled by court at different level hence he is not qualified to conduct local council elections where people of integrity will contest.

It also alleged that many of the members of the SIEC are card-carrying members of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), saying that on this basis, local council elections were stopped by the court in the first term of Governor Fayemi when Mr. Soji Oloketuyi membership of SIEC then was proved to be inappropriate because he was a card-carrying member of the ruling party.

The PDP said that it’s unfortunately ridiculous that the governor could assemble people who are constitutionally barred to conduct elections in the state.

According to the party, Fayemi has realised that with the participation of PDP in the election, his party’s popularity would be put to question hence his appointing people with constitutional burden in SIEC.

Meanwhile, the SIEC’s Commissioner in Charge of Media and Publicity, Chief Soji Oloketuyi, described the allegations as not only spurious but baseless.

Oloketuyi said the allegation of Justice Aladejana being allegedly dismissed from the Bench coming at a time when elections are few months away was targeted at distracting the commission and the electoral process.

“To the best of my knowledge, Justice Aladejana was never dismissed from the Bench. He remains one of the most credible Ekiti men with dignity. So to us, we consider this a distraction.

“If those making the allegations are sure of themselves, let them show the proof of their accusation,” he said.

Oloketuyi also said he was eminently qualified to be a member of SIEC contrary to the position canvassed by the PDP, insisting that he was never a card-carrying member of any political party.

“I was appointed as an electoral commissioner under the first term of Governor Ayodele Fayose and now re-appointed by Governor Kayode Fayemi. This was an eloquent testimony to my integrity as a former public servant.

“I worked in the civil service and retired as the immediate past Public Relations Officer (PRO) at the Federal Polytechnic, Ado-Ekiti. So, I never carry the card of any political party,” he said.