A High Court in Ado Ekiti today, affirmed the legality of the Judicial Commission of Inquiry set up by the state government to look into financial transactions of the state between 2010 and 2014, saying the Ekiti State Governor, Mr. Ayodele Fayose has powers to run affairs of his state and that he had exclusive rights to set up commission of inquiry without the prompting of the House of Assembly and that he properly so acted.
Accordingly, all other Reliefs seeking to set aside and perpetually restrain the Commission were dismissed.
Justice Lekan Ogunmoye, who delivered the judgment in the suit filed by the former Governor of Ekiti State, Dr. Kayode Fayemi against the commission of inquiry set up to investigate allegations of fraud against his administration,
He said the governor does not need to consult the House of Assembly or anyone before setting up the commission of inquiry.
The court, however, agreed that the State House of Assembly had no rights to direct the governor to set up the inquiry.
Governor Fayose had in May, this year, constituted a judicial panel, led by a former acting chief judge of the state, Justice Silas Oyewole, to probe Fayemi’s administration between October 2010 and October 2014 over alleged financial misappropriatio
Fayemi had filed suit No. HAD/57/2017, seeking an injunction to restrain the state government and the Judicial Commission of Enquiry set up by Governor Ayodele Fayose to probe his administration from going ahead with the exercise.
The Minister for Steel and Minerals Resources Development also alleged that all the members of the panel were the governor’s apologists, adding that there was no way the panel would be fair to him.
Reacting after the judgment, Fayemi’s counsel, Mr. Akingbade Ogunmoyela said the court has agreed that the State House of Assembly has no right to direct the governor to set up the inquiry, saying it was of the opinion of the court based on the Ekiti Commission of Inquiry law that the governor has right to set the commission.
He said he wouldn’t know whether or not his client would appeal the judgment.
In his reaction, counsel to the state government, Mr. Sunday Ashana said he was happy with the judgment because the court established that the governor has the right to set up the commission. He stressed the state government acted in accordance with the law that set up the commission.
