Recent political uproar in Ekiti North Senatorial District of Ekiti State following the arrest and remand of one Idowu Afuye by the Senator representing the District, Cyril Fasuyi over a write up circulated on social media has again been condemned.
Afuye, in a write up titled: “A tale of Two Senators; When Representation Meant Responsibility ” had praised the former Senate committee Chairman on Privatisation, Ayo Arise for facilitating the establishment of Federal University of Oye Ekiti FUOYE among other achievements while demanding the achievements of the current Senator in the District.
Afuye later charged to Court and remanded on alleged charges to include: cyber stalking, deformation of character and false information.
Reacting to the development through a phone conversation on Fresh FM , Ado Ekiti Radio programme from United States of America, the former senate committee Chairman on Privatisation Sen. Ayo Arise described the development as unfortunate and uncivilised.
His words; Cooking up charges against innocent People in the name of politics was an obsolete
and a crude idea of olden days when desperate Politicians used to cook up dangerous lies against anyone they want to subdue and the Person would be battling with it.
Such practice is no longer fashionable. I think we should be progressing and no Person should play that kind of politics of setting People up again.
Sen. Arise who expressed dismay over the arrest and remand of Mr. Afuye also described the development as an absolute abuse of power, political intolerance, a height of arrogance, immaturity and lack of experience on the path of those responsible for the ugly development.
It is amisadventure as it portends the backwardness in our political system which will not be acceptable and must be condemned by all lovers of Democracy.
According to him, many Nigerian Politicians including Senate Leader, Sen. Opeyemi Bamidele, the current Governor of Ekiti State, Dr. Biodun Oyebanji and even President Bola Tinubu GCFR, had been criticised in the past but how many People have they arrested?
It is unambiguous and unparalleled that, there is freedom of speech and movement in the Country that is guaranteed by the Constitution and anybody that wants to breach theconstitution must be ready to face the consequences.
“Therefore, I do not think that People will be happy that you have acquired so much arrogance that you think, you can do anything. No, power does not allow you to be doing such. It is power that you have that you do not use that have value not other way round”.
Sen. Arise also condemned the actions of some security Agents in the State who are now acting like “a bull in a China Shop” to arrest, prosecute and persecute innocent members of the public on trump up charges.
On his Senatorial ambition in 2027 general elections and roles in the establishment of the Federal University of Oye Ekiti FUOYE, Senator Arise said his antecedents, performance and experience while in the Senate between 2007-2011 and after Office are enough for him to coast home to victory against any Politician in Ekiti North Senatorial District including the serving Senator, Fasuyi.
The Oye Ekiti born Businessmen and Politician also described the rumours by some paid political Urchins that he influenced the relocation of FUOYE from Ikole Ekiti to Oye Ekiti as a cheap political propaganda saying, the administration of former President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan only considered two locations of Ifaki and Oye Ekiti ab initio for the siting of the Institution in the State.
According to him, “it was the then Governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi who made announcement in variance from the Federal Government delegation’s position into Ekiti State for political reason, hence the unnecessary uproar at the take off of the Institution. ”
The bill to establish six Federal Universities then was an executive one and as a Chairman, senate committee on privatisation who supervised the Office of the former Vice president before he (Jonathan) became President gave me access to him. Upon meeting with the then Minister of State of Education in the company of Prof. Okojie and Prof. Yakubu of then Tetfund (now Chairman of INEC) we concluded that the former Teachers college now Government college Oye Ekiti should be inspected for take off.
So, by the time the former Governor, Dr. Fayemi was trying to play politics of location, the then President had already made up his mind on the establishment of the University in Oye Ekiti.
There are living witnesses who participated in the process. The number one was Dr. Desani Madueke who after my approaching her said to me that ‘ I should consider it done’ Others who played tangible roles included Dr. Femi Ajayi who was SA to the then President and later headed PTDF.
Prof. Afolabi Oladapo who was then permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Education before he later became the head of service of the federation is a living testifier on my efforts over the establishment of the Institution. There was never relocation.
I proposed a faculty of Agriculture in Ikole Ekiti which I believed could become a full-fledged University in the future.
When I later met Dr. Fayemi to explain the implications of our losing the University to either the Central or Southern senatorial districts if he continued to fight the Federal Government on the issue of location, he agreed to two faculties in Ikole.
Therefore, my bond with Ikole Ekiti where I married from, remains solid despite mischievous antics by some Politicians because, the Indigenes now understand better, that all hullabaloo in the past was just “a political gymnastics aimed at reducing my political influence in the Area”. The very reasonable and educated people of Ikole now understand better.