Ekiti State elders under the aegis of Igbimo Ure Ekiti (IUE), led by frontline pharmacist Prince Julius Adelusi-Adeluyi, reflect on the preparations for next Saturday’s governorship election and advise stakeholders, including federal and state governments, political parties, the electoral umpire and the electorate, to play by the rules and avoid rigging and other unruly behaviours that could spark off violence before, during and after the exercise.
Igbimo Ure Ekiti (IUE) is a consultative body of eminent elders and leaders of Ekiti State from within and outside Nigeria. IUE has no political affiliation. Our mission is to provide thought leadership and direction for our people on matters pertaining to the overall interest and development of Ekiti State. We leverage on the robust intellectual endowment, the various and overwhelming experience of our members in the different disciplines, professions, vocations and businesses, as well as the unique homogeneity of our people in Ekiti State, to optimally harness the resources in the State, in order to achieve a politically stable, economically viable and peaceful environment for the betterment and progress of Ekiti people.
As members of this body both individually and collectively, we continue to monitor the build-up of events leading to the governorship election scheduled for Saturday July 14th, 2018. We are seriously concerned for the peace and safety of the sons and daughters of Ekiti State. We are mindful of the demonstrated desperation erupting from some of the participants in the on-going electoral process in the State. For instance, while the opposition believes that they are unstoppable in their quest to capture power and that they will stop at nothing to achieve this, the party in power on the other hand believes that it is immovable. Therein lies the danger unless something decisive is done by the well-meaning members of Ekiti State and by those that are directly involved in organising and conducting the election. There is also the issue of maintenance of law and order to ensure a free, fair and transparent process to guarantee that the will of the people prevails at the end of the election. We can’t stand idly by while all this is going on. As Edmund Burke (1729-1797), the Anglo-Irish statesman, author, philosopher, politician, orator and political theorist observed, The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.
The overriding purpose of this press conference therefore is to say No to rigging. No to violence. No to thuggery. No to killing. No to arson. No to ballot-box snatching and no to vandalism. On the other hand, we say with unity of purpose; yes, to one man, one vote, Yes to orderliness, yes to the spirit of sportsmanship and yes to peace and tranquillity. This is the purpose of this conference.
The strategic gains of a peaceful, free, fair, and transparent election, where the choice of the electorate is supreme cannot be over emphasized. The fact that the ultimate sovereignty lies with the people can also not be over-emphasized. If democracy in the words of Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865 an American statesman, lawyer & 16th President of the United States of America) is the government of the people, by the people, and for the people, it means therefore that the people are the centre piece of democracy. The need for the safety and security of the people must be of paramount concern to the political players. For us a as a people and in particular members of Igbimo Ure Ekiti (IUE) we must protect the safety and security of our people in our land.
We wish to recall that between 2007 and 2010, the Gubernatorial election and the re-run that followed upon the Court Order was characterised by killing, destruction of valuable assets, fear and trepidation among Ekiti State residents. No one will forget in a hurry, the Ido Osi tragedy, the Oye skirmishes, and the inconsistencies of Madam Ayoka Adebayo, the then Ekiti State Electoral Commissioner.
We also wish to recall the effort of this body before, during, and after the 2014 election between the then governor Dr Kayode Fayemi and Mr Ayodele Fayose. IUE spent considerable resources of its own to embark on political education through interactive meetings with leaders of various Political Parties, Traditional Rulers, the Security Agencies including but not limited to the Police, the Department of State Security and others. We made repeated and sustained appeals to the citizens of the State, not only during the meetings, but also through the electronic and print media. This was in addition to enlisting the support of our Traditional Rulers and Religious Leaders all in a bid to ensure peaceful, fair, and free election. Because of these efforts by us and other well-meaning organisations and individuals of the State, the 2014 election witnessed less tension and atrocious events.
We recognise with serious anxiety, the tension that has enveloped the State as the date of the election approaches. Shootings, hate speeches and talking tough appear to be the order of the day across all the political divide and more particularly, the two major parties. IUE wishes to appeal to all the stakeholders including but not limited to the Government at the centre, the State Government as well as the Security Agencies to please allow Ekiti State’s electorate elect their own Governor under a free and fair atmosphere in the interest of peace and stability of the State in particular and also that of the nation in general.
As a people, we must learn from history. The failure to learn from history is the reason for repeating same mistakes. We wish to recall with pain and anguish the Electoral Crisis of 1983 in the old Ondo State (comprising of the present Ondo State and Ekiti State) which occasioned loss of several lives and destruction of properties. An election was held. The National Party of Nigeria’s candidate Chief Akin Omoboriowo was declared the winner of the election, contrary to the overwhelming expectations of the electorate. The electorate felt cheated and simultaneously embarked on a large scale violent protest. Peace eluded the entire State until the Supreme Court of Nigeria declared that the election was indeed won by Chief Adekunle Ajasin of the Unity Party of Nigeria. Ekiti people regard cheating with aversion.
In the advertisement made by IUE in the Punch newspaper of Sunday 20th of May 2018 at page 19, we made the point abundantly clear that we do not want Ekiti State to be a theatre of war in the unbridled, mad, and selfish ambition to grab power and governance of Ekiti State at any and all cost. Igbimo Ure Ekiti (IUE) wishes to warn that there will be consequences for any politician that maybe involved in any act of violence before, during, and after the July 2018 election in the State. We believe we have the capacity not only to give this warning, but also to enforce it. We vividly remember that our forebears sacrificed life and limb to protect the integrity and fundamental values which make up the hallmark of the Ekiti people. Our own generation is not about to abandon the pursuit and sustainability of the virtues of integrity and uncommon bonding, a heritage for which Ekiti people have been known for generations.
As for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), we shall hold the INEC Chairman, Professor Mahmood Yakubu by his words that INEC will be transparent in their dealings, diligent in their efforts and accountable not only to the people but to all Electoral Monitoring Groups both local and international so as to ensure that the election is not only proclaimed to be free and fair but is actually seen to be free, fair, transparent and credible. We charge INEC to ensure that every vote counts and that whatever technology is deployed for the election is fool proof and beyond question. After all, there are less than 1 million registered voters in Ekiti. There are 16 local governments and the terrain is even and easily accessible. There is no doubt that the Ekiti State July 14th, 2018 election will be a litmus test and a model to the 2019 general elections. IUE expects INEC to demonstrate not only their independence, but also that they are a reliable umpire for all the contending political parties.
We appeal to election observers from various interest groups to be totally impartial and turn in credible reports during the election.
To the Police and other Security Agencies, we call for your vigilance, fairness and even-handedness throughout the election period. IUE commends the leadership, men and women of the security agencies for their good work in 2014. Your performance at that time must be seen as the least expected of you all in the 2018 election. With the palpable fear of the people within the State that the army may be used for this election, we call on Mr President and Commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces, President Muhammed Buhari to ensure that men and women of the Nigerian Armed Forces are not involved in an electoral process that is totally, essentially and constitutionally a civil matter.
Election is not a war. The earlier we began to instil confidence in the ability and the capacity of the Nigerian Police Force together with other civil security agencies for the prevention and detection of crime, apprehension of offenders, protection of lives and properties, preservation of law and order and due enforcement of our laws and regulations including our electoral laws, regulations and guidelines, the better for our democracy.
To our traditional rulers, we beseech you to please continue to ensure that politicians do not invade your kingdoms to recruit thugs or import thugs to your domains. Please note that thugs are hired by desperate politicians to instil fear, cause destabilisation and trepidation among the people. As the fathers of all, please feel free to call any erring politician in your domain to order. Let us all be involved in the task of preventing violence leading to the destruction of lives and properties of our people. We urge you to resist any attempt by any political leader or leaders to recruit the youths of your domain both employed and unemployed as political thugs and hirelings during the process of this election.
To our religious leaders, IUE covets your prayers for a very successful and violent free election.
To the youths, it is important for you to realise that to accept to be a thug or hireling to any political leader or leaders is to destroy yourself physically, mentally and psychologically both in the present and in the future. Resist ev0ery attempt to be enticed with money and other momentary gains at the expense of your destiny. Your future is way more important.
In conclusion, IUE wishes to State as we did before the Ekiti State 2014 Governorship election that IUE together with other stakeholders in the Ekiti State project cannot and will not stand by to watch the political class take Ekiti State back to the dark days or allow our land of honour to be turned into a theatre of war just to promote the selfish ambition of any individual or group of individuals under whatever nomenclature. No, not again and God forbid. It is our strong belief that, ceteris paribus, a peaceful, free and fair election on July 14th, 2018 is possible and attainable if all the relevant stakeholders commit themselves to this goal. We invite the media and other well-meaning organisations to join us in this drive.