PDP petitions Ekiti Chief Judge over suits against Fayose

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Abuja has petitioned the Chief Judge of Ekiti State, Justice Ayodeji Daramola, over the likelihood of bias in the suits brought against its candidate in the coming June 21 governorship election, Mr. Ayo Fayose.     
In a letter signed by PDP’s National Secretary, Professor Wale Oladipo, the party asked the Chief Judge to transfer the cases which were assigned to Justice Monisola Abodunde, with case file number HAD/51/2015 brought against the candidature of Fayose in the election. The suit was instituted by Mr. Adeniyi Ajakaiye and another person on behalf of Citizens Popular Party (CPP).  against the PDP.
The PDP said: “In as much as we have implicit confidence in the judiciary to dispense justice according to the rule of law, we shall not however, hesitate to an established convincing likelihood of bias on the part of the presiding judge in the above two political cases in which we are defendants.”
The party said that the suit against Fayose, filed by Ajakaiye and Mr. Olufemi Ajayi was allegedly instituted by members of E-eleven, a socio-political group sympathetic to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ekiti State, while the case between CPP and two others versus the PDP and three others also before the same judge is the same in content and the reliefs sought.
“Mr. Banji Abodunde, the husband of Justice Abodunde, is a principal member of E-eleven who are the processors, sponsors and the originators of the two cases. He is a consultant contractor to the  APC government and he is also in the management board of Fountain hotel assigned to the E-eleven to manage on behalf of the government.” it added.
The PDP also stated that the first son of Justice Abodunde, “is working directly with Dr. Kayode Fayemi, the governorship candidate of APC,” and contended that “if our candidate is disqualified in the zero hours to the election, the APC ruling government whose interests the E-eleven is representing will be the obvious beneficiary.”
The E-eleven had in the suit sought to stop Fayose from contesting the June 21 governorship election in Ekiti State on the grounds that he was impeached in 2006 and that he swore to an affidavit denying that he was impeached.