Ekiti State Governor, Mr. Ayodele Fayose, has reacted to the release of
timetable for the state’s 2018 governorship election by the
Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), calling on the electoral umpire to conduct free, fair and credible poll that will be
commended by the international community just as the June 21, 2014 election was hailed by the government of the United States of America.
The governor, who said that he needed no help from INEC or any agency of the government for the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to win the election, urged INEC and federal government agencies not to
Assist other contestants.
Governor Fayose’s Special Assistant on Public Communications and New
Media, Lere Olayinka, quoted him as “calling on the international
community as well as local election observers to from now, take interest in the Ekiti 2018 governorship election and monitor INEC as it begins the processes leading to the conduct of the
election.”
His words: “Concerning this election and others, INEC should be
honourable by ensuring free, fair and credible elections.
“This is
considering the fact that Ekiti is a state controlled by the
opposition and I am the number one opposition figure in Nigeria today.
“INEC should take note that we cannot all be in the same political party and Nigeria cannot be one party state. The electoral commission should therefore be fair to all concerned.
“As for me, I do not need INEC or agency of the government to help me and the PDP candidate to win the election and INEC and federal
government agencies should not also provide help for other
contestants.”
The statement issued in Ado-Ekiti on Friday, read in part: “Yesterday, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) picked July 14, 2018 for the Ekiti State Governorship election. We welcome the
announcement of the election timetable because even before INEC
released the timetable, we, in the PDP in Ekiti State have prepared well enough for the election and are good to go anytime, any day.
“It is hopeful that INEC will not succumb to pressure from those who may want to take Ekiti State by means other than free, fair and
transparent electoral process and truncate the rights of Ekiti people to make their choice.
“To our teeming supporters, eternal vigilance is most required from now till the end of the election.
“I am confident that Ekiti people will resist any plot to subvert
their collective wish because they have done it not once, not twice. Most importantly, support of the people of Ekiti for me and the PDP
has never been in doubt.
“It is on this note that I call on the international community as well as local election observers to from now, take very strong interest in
the Ekiti 2018 governorship election and monitor INEC as it begins the
processes leading to the conduct of the election.”
