Ekiti State Governor and Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)
Governors’ Forum, Mr Ayodele Fayose has urged the judiciary to continue to
be courageous and see to it that officials of the federal government that
are disobeying court orders, especially the Federal High Court, Abuja
judgement, ordering the release of the leader of the Shi’ite Muslim sect,
Ibrahim Zakzaky and his wife Malama Zeenah Ibraheem are jailed.
The governor, who praised the judiciary for standing firm in defence of
the rule of law, said; “the federal government must proof to the whole
world that Ibrahim Zakzaky is still alive by releasing him as ordered by
the court.”
Speaking through his Special Assistant on Public Communications and New
Media, Lere Olayinka, Governor Fayose said the filing of notice of
contempt proceedings against the Inspector General of Police (IGP),
Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and the Director General of
Department of State Services (DSS) over the disobedience of a court order
for Zakzaky’s release was a step in the right direction.
Justice Gabriel Kolawole of the Federal High Court, Abuja had on December
2, 2016 awarded a cumulative sum of N50 million to the Zakzakys and
ordered the AGF and IGP to provide him a new accommodation and security in
any part of Kaduna or Northern region that they prefer within 45 days, but
60 days after, the judgment is yet to be obeyed.
Governor Fayose, who described as wicked and inhuman, the continued
detention of Zakzaky and his wife since December 2015, after the murder of
over 300 of his followers; said; “It is even more ridiculous that the DSS
claimed that its refusal to release the cleric and his wife was to protect
them.
The governor said; “Obviously, the DSS must be hiding something on this
Zakzaky matter because it does not make sense for an agency of government
to keep someone in detention for over one year and claim that he is being
protected. Against what are they protecting a man who wants his freedom?”
Governor Fayose reminded Nigerians that he had said that the federal
government won’t obey the judgment; saying that the APC led federal
government was the number one law breaker in the country.
He said; “Like Justice Kolawole’s judgment, which ordered the release of
Zakzaky and his wife is for posterity, committing those disobeying the
judgment to prison will also be on record even if they don’t obey it, and
when one day, sanity returns to our body polity, Nigerians will have it
on record those who ruled their country like a fiefdom.”
Describing the continuous disobedience to court orders by the federal
government as direct invitation to anarchy, the governor said; “Even the
military still obeyed court judgements but here we are with a
democratically elected government that holds our constitution with
contempt.
“The judiciary must therefore have to remain steadfast in its uphold of
the rule of law, by punishing those treating the court with contempt so as
to save democracy from being destroyed by those presently holding the
country by the jugular and do not want anyone that is not in the same
political camp with them to exist.”