AYOKA ADEBAYO: NIGERIA’S WOMAN OF THE MOMENT

Mrs Ayoka Adebayo 'flanked' by journalists courtesy Osun Defender

At 74, Chief (Mrs) Olusola Ayoka Adebayo proved that age is not a barrier to fame. The widow became the most popular woman in Nigeria within 24 hrs after the recent rerun election in Ekiti State. She was even more famous than Nigeria's First lady, Hajia Turai Yar’Adua. Adebayo almost got on the most wanted list like a criminal when the Inspector General of Police, Mike Okiro declared her wanted although there was no ransom. She got herself in trouble for refusing to declare the final result of the election as the resident electoral commissioner for Ekiti State. The rerun of the gubernatorial election was held on April 25, 2009. She later came out of hiding and said she was still part of INEC family. Is INEC a family?
She 'ran away' because she lacked security and was also not ready to declare a false winner although the dominant party (PDP) put a lot of pressure on her to do so. Adebayo’s resignation was not accepted by the Federal Government but she did not deny writing her letter of resignation. What was the point of the Minister of Information and Communication, Professor Dora Akunyili saying that the letter was ‘suspect’? Akunyili’s job specification should not entail personal judgement because she also made unfavourable comments on Adebayo. Should Akunyili allow sentiment to becloud her statements? Election will be held in two Oye Ekiti Local Government wards today and Adebayo is expected to resume as the presiding electoral commissioner.
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FAYOSE V ARISE

Ayo Fayose courtesy Nigeria World

Last week, a former Governor of Ekiti State Peter Ayodele Fayose and Senator Ayo Arise verbally attacked each other on the political programme, Focus Nigeria (AIT – SKY Channel 187) anchored by Gbenga Aruleba. Fayose lashed Arise as he tried to defend the Chairman of Ido Local Government in Lagos; whom Arise claimed should have had no business in the embattled rerun of the recent Ekiti gubernatorial election. It must be emphasized that the chairman is an indigene of Ekiti State and Fayose said that the chairman was arrested on election day. Arise supported candidate Mr Segun Oni of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) while Fayose supported the Action Congress (AC) candidate Dr Kayode Fayemi.
Arise lost his temper and threatened to walk out of the live programme unless Fayose declined to use 'obscene' words on him after Fayose accused him of lying to the senate. Arise claimed that a court said that Fayose had no character. Aruleba handled the imbroglio perfectly well by telling them to stop interjecting each other. Arise did not deny that 36 thugs with sorcery charms were arrested in his house but Fayose questioned why Arise was not detained like his 36 thugs. Most of the thugs were later released on bail. Arise’s defence was that they were unarmed and accused Fayose of telling the press that he was arrested by the police with thugs and whisked to Abuja. Before the end of the programme Fayose and Arise diplomatically settled their differences but not before Fayose threatened to ‘reveal’ how Arise and his cohorts joined the PDP as 'illegal members of PDP'. It was so funny that even Arise laughed. Apart from Fayose and Arise other commentators on the programme were Emeka Ngige (SAN) and Ayokunle Fagbemi.
Arise accused Alhaji Mujahid Dokubo-Asari of being the thug that brought a battalion of thugs to Ekiti State. The statement infuriated the renowned freedom fighter who telephoned the satellite TV programme and insisted that Arise should retract his statement or apologize. Dokubo-Asari explained that he was not in Ekiti State during the election but was there during the campaign. Arise honourably apologized but Fayose jokingly told Arise that he should not have apologized so that Dokubo-Asari could have sued him. According to the press, the State Security Service (SSS) laid ambush on Fayose outside AIT premises in order to arrest him after the programme but he escaped.
ADABA 88.9 FM

Arise maintained that Adaba Radio should be shut down while Fayose disagreed because other broadcasting mediums refused to air him especially government owned media organisations before and during the election. Nigerian Broadcasting Regulator, National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) fined Adaba FM the sum of 500,000 naira for broadcasting "materials that were capable of inciting members of the public to violence and consequently leading to breakdown of law and order." Nevertheless, Adaba FM should be commended for being the station that gave information at a time that most broadcast journalists in Nigeria diplomatically decided to boycott the Ekiti re-run election for reasons better known to them. Even satellite stations like BEN TV, AIT and NTAi refused to broadcast a 'full' coverage of the election.
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