Panel rejects request to summon Fayose’s aide for contempt

• Ekiti assembly suspends another member

The Judicial Panel of Inquiry probing former Governor Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State yesterday rejected a request to charge the governor’s Special Assistant on Public Communications, Mr. Lere Olayinka for contempt.

A lawyer, Mr. Adeoye Aribasoye had requested that Olayinka be summoned to show cause why he should not be charged for misrepresenting the panel’s proceedings.

This followed a disagreement between Aribasoye and the counsel to the commission, Mr. Sunday Bamise that he appeared for Fayemi at the panel.

Aribasoye explained that though he appeared in court to honour the panel’s invitation, he did not announce his appearance for the former governor.

He said the announcement in the state broadcast service, of which Olayinka is the director general, amounted to contempt and punishable under Sections 12 and 15 of the Tribunal Act 1960.

“This publication, to say the least, was callous, wicked and malicious. It was widely reported in most of the social media platforms belonging to Olayinka that I and Tajudeen Akingbolu appeared for Fayemi on Monday.

“At no time did we announce our appearance for Fayemi and this publication was done out of wickedness. As a minister in the temple of justice, this is disrespect because the government established this commission for a purpose and should take no actions to insinuate a pre-determined goal.”

But, Bamise argued that its records and not what the media reported would only guide the commission.

The Chairman of the commission, Justice Silas Oyewole , explained that the commission was taking judicial notice of what transpired before the panel and would not be swayed by media reports in taking its decisions.

“We have our records and anything reported by the media won’t be binding on us. You can go and get the certified true copies of our records, because for us to summon anybody concerning this, you have to swear to a written oath,” he said,” he said.

The commission directed the witnesses, including Coscharis Motors to appear today to give evidence over the supply of 235 units of vehicles under Fayemi’s administration.

Meanwhile, the Ekiti State House of Assembly has suspended the legislator representing Ekiti-East Constituency 1, Mr. Fajana Ojo-Ade.

The lawmaker was suspended for a period of 101 legislative days without pay, in the first instance, “except he shows signs of genuine remorse.”

Ojo-Ade was alleged to have committed gross misconduct, financial impropriety, failed attempt at removing the speaker and bringing the house into disrepute.