Ekiti State Governor, Dr Kayode Fayemi has said he does not perceive the Special Adviser to the President on Political Affairs, Mr Babafemi Ojudu, a former Minister of State for Works, Senator Dayo Adeyeye and others who launched attacks against him as his enemies in the ongoing crisis rocking the State chapter of the All Progressives Congress, APC.
In fact, he assured the party’s stakeholders at a meeting in Ado Ekiti, the state capital on Saturday that he would not treat any party member as an enemy, describing his disagreement with the aggrieved chieftains .as a family affair.
He said in statement on Sunday by the party’s state Publicity Secretary, Mr Ade Ajayi: “Whatever disagreement we have in Ekiti APC is a family affair. I’m not an enemy to anyone and neither is anyone an enemy to me.”
The statement added that at the meeting where issues affecting the party were discussed, a vote of confidence was passed in Fayemi after a review of many projects executed by his administration, including road and water projects, schools’ renovation and sinking of boreholes across schools.
It said: “Stakeholders resolved that all matters in court against the party at all levels should be withdrawn with immediate effect.
“That the code of conduct for all political appointees and elected officials should be strictly adhered to.
“That forthwith, no negative story should be sponsored against the party in the media. Such action by any member shall be viewed as anti-party”.
It added ed that the stakeholders also agreed that an adhoc committee should be composed to address all the members’ grievances and make recommendations on how to resolve them to the party.
Adeyeye, Ojudu, a former Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Mr. Adewale Omirin and 12 others members of the party last week accused Fayemi of being dictatorial and vindictive.
The 15 chieftains in a statement alleged that Fayemi has been dictatorial, sectional and brutish in the running of the party, thereby turning the party organs into instruments of suppression and victimisation.
On the other hand, the statement by Ajayi said that issues affecting the party were deliberated upon before the meeting’s vote of confidence was passed on Governor Fayemi after a review of the many projects carried out by his administration, which include road and water projects, schools’ renovation and sinking of boreholes across schools.
Other notable achievements of the governor, according to Ajayi, include the airport project, investments in agriculture and health, social investment, attraction of foreign and domestic investments, making Ekiti proud as the Chairman of Nigeria Governors Forum as well as his quality leadership role at the national level.
Ajayi added: “A vote of confidence was also passed on the party executives from the state to ward level for winning all elections conducted so far, including the presidential, national and state assemblies, as well as local government elections.
“The national and state assembly members equally expressed their support for the governor and the party executives from state to the ward levels.”
He added that part of the resolutions was the directive given to party members to withdraw all court cases instituted against the party in line with President Buhari’s directive.
The gulf within the state chapter of the All Progressive Congress had widened at the weekend as some aggrieved chieftains of the party shunned its stakeholders’ meeting where issues affecting the party were discussed.
Ojudu, fAdeyeye, Dr. Wole Oluyede and other aggrieved leaders were absent from the meeting.
The meeting which was convened at the behest of the the Paul Omotosho-led State Working Committee held at the Osuntokun Hall, Government House, Ado-Ekiti.
It had was attended by Governor Fayemi, his Deputy, Chief Bisi Egbeyemi, National Assembly members, Senators Opeyemi Bamidele, Olubunmi Adetunmbi and Hons. Wumi Ogunlola, Femi Bamisile, Yemi Adaramodu, Ibrahim Olarewaju, Sola Fatoba and Peter Owolabi.
Others were Minister of Trade and Investment, Otunba Niyi Adebayo who was ably represented, Speaker of the Ekiti House of Assembly, Funminiyi Afuye, state assembly members, cabinet members, elected party chairmen, party elders forum and 10 representatives from each local government.
Impeccable source within the party said that notice of the meeting was sent to all statutory members including Ojudu, Adeyeye, Oluyede and other aggrieved chieftains except those on suspension but no reason was given for their absence.
In another development, the State Government introduced mandatory payment of property tax by landlords and land-owners across the 16 local councils as part of efforts to shore up its internally-generated revenues (IGR) for more infrastructural development.
Chairman of the Ekiti State Internal Revenue Service, Mr. Muyiwa Ogunmilade, who disclosed this in a statement made available to reporters in Ado-Ekiti said the Ekiti State Property Tax Law was backed by the State Land Use Charge Law No 3 of 2013, which comprises payment on ground rent, tenement rates and neighbourhood improvement levy.
He said that the policy had been neglected for long, saying that time has come for it to be put to full use in view of the low revenues from the federal allocation to the state.He also said that the governor was not interested in imposing double taxation or obnoxious tax policy on residents, but that the new measure was just an implementation of an existing, but abandoned law.
