Governor Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti State, today described the comment made by the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC), over possible removal of the Chairman, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Attahiru Jega as a mere commedy.
According to Fayose, "President Goodluck Jonathan can sack Jega if he wishes and if he does, heavens will not fall.
"By turning themselves to advocates and defenders of the INEC chairman, the APC and its agents have shown that they have a deal with Jega to manipulate the elections and that the deal will be frustrated if he is asked to leave office."
The governor who stated this in a press statement signed by his Special Assistant on Public Communications and New Media, Lere Olayinka, posited that the removal of the INEC boss including other appointees of the Federal Government (FG) was a prerogative of the president, "Which no one can question, provided laid down rules are followed."
Describing Jega as partisan, Governor Fayose said, "By his actions and utterances, Jega had already demonstrated his bias in support of the APC.
"For instance, how can Jega explain the 80 percent distribution of Permanent Voters Card in Boko Haram ravaged Borno and Yobe States while less than 40 percent distributed in Lagos as of February 7 that the election was postponed?
"It is on record that Prof Maurice Iwu was asked to proceed on terminal leave two months to the end of his tenure? Is Jega not a beneficiary of Iwu’s removal?
"So if Iwu was asked to go on terminal leave before the expiration of his tenure for Jega to assume office, what difference does it make if Jega too is asked to proceed on terminal leave before the expiration of his tenure?
"It is the president that can determine whether or not Jega will go on the mandatory three months terminal leave which should commence on March 8, and if the president decides that the INEC chairman should go on terminal leave, what can the APC loudmouths do?
"They boasted before the postponement of the elections that they would go on street protests, but did they do anything? They made noise when Justice Isa Ayo Salami was removed from office as president of the Court of Appeal, what did their noise amount to?
"Therefore, let me say it categorically that the noise being made by the APC and their agents will amount to nothing because if the president removes Jega today, heavens will not fall."
Photo credit: Nigeriancurrent
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