Politics
FAYOSE: INEC, police denying Nigerians of freedom of choice in elections
The management of Nigeria’s electoral processes came up for sharp criticism Thursday when Governor Ayo Fayose of Ekiti State accused the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the Nigerian Police Force of collaborating to deny Nigerians of freedom of choice in electing their leaders.
Fayose, who spoke through his Special Assistant on Public Communications and New Media, Lere Olayinka, specifically warned that the people will resist attempts by any agent of the Nigerian state to subvert the will of the people.
Referring to the upcoming gubernatorial election in Ekiti State, Fayose said, “Here in Ekiti, we are waiting for them. If INEC and its ally, APC like, they can print as many Form EC8A as it can, they will fail.”
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He accused the ruling party, All Progressives Congress (APC), of manipulating and hijacking the electoral processes saying, “While we continue to watch with keen interest, revelations coming from the Edo State Governorship Election Tribunal, the open display of partisanship in the Rivers State rerun elections has made it so obvious that INEC and police have become so shameless in their open display of support for the All Progressives Congress, APC.
“We have seen the police and INEC going back and forth on Rivers State rerun elections and I wish to ask the police; what happened to that suspect, Christian Chukwuemeka Ejikeme, who reportedly confessed to the complicity of some APC top-shots in the murder of DSP Mohammed Alkali?
“Shouldn’t the police be more interested in bringing those who allegedly killed its officers to justice?”
The Buhari-led administration, he alleged, has turned its gaze away, refusing to investigate claims of election mal-practices citing the incident in Yobe State.
Said he, “What has happened to that Yobe State INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner, REC, that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) established to have received N15 million bribe to rig the Yobe State election?”
Fayose is the chairman of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Governors Forum and has established himself as the most ardent critic of the Federal Government led by Buhari.
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JOHNSON PETER
February 24, 2017 at 12:16 pm
Is there any election in Nigeria void of irregularities from the parties involved? Both apc, pdp or any other party will surely exhaust their arsenals to win the election, even fayose (the oshoko of ekiti) is a desperate man who can kill just to make sure his candidate win the election.
yanju omotodun
February 24, 2017 at 2:54 pm
You are right. Credible elections are not credible in Nigeria. And for ekiti election, it will be a do or die affairs because apc will by all means want to cease power to have control of the South west as a determinant in 2019 general elections but pdp will also do all tactics to hold unto the control of pdp. All same, ekiti people will decide who they want base on the personality in the two major political parties
Balarabe musa
February 24, 2017 at 2:57 pm
Fearful fayose knows pdp can’t win ekiti again, that is why he is raising false alarm. He has failed his people. Fayemi will persuade his people to vote apc so they can enjoy federal might
Animashaun Ayodeji
February 24, 2017 at 3:24 pm
This is a strategy to instil fear in INEC and the Police, he only said those to foster PDP’s chances against APC. I call this late hour campaign
Roland Uchendu Pele
February 24, 2017 at 4:52 pm
Fayose is smarter than we think, and he’s using the surest weapon of politics – words! The governor is having a sweet romance with the media, and that could grant him a lot of success.
Margret Dickson
February 24, 2017 at 5:03 pm
Fayose can never be predicted, he has ways of converting indecisive people to support him. Anyone who reads what he said may instantly hate APC and follow PDP instantly.