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Tag: Ekiti

  • Annals of political debauchery

    Annals of political debauchery

    Ekiti’s stomach-infrastructure governor Ayo Fayose long ago joined the ranks of our compatriots in public life — you know them — who never touch anything without defiling it

    He has no shame. He is a compulsive liar.  He holds nothing sacred.

    Since General Muhammadu Buhari was voted presidential candidate of the APC, Fayose has mounted a ghoulish death-watch on him, pivoting on medical report purporting that the 72-year-old former head of state had been treated for prostate cancer, at the Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital, in Kaduna.

    Even if true, the report should have elicited empathy.  The report was fake through and through, however; an inept forgery. But it was more than enough for Fayose to embark on a countdown to Buhari’s demise with the kind of glee you would expect of a person about to come into a vast fortune.

    Don’t vote for Buhari in the presidential election, he urged his band of followers, for the most part those whose stomachs he has conscripted for the vilest ends; don’t vote for him because he is going to die in office, like four previous leaders from his corner of Nigeria .

    That, essentially, was the statement Fayose put out in a signed advertisement that several newspapers plastered on the entire front pages, as if it was editorial material of the highest importance. And to every newspaper that agreed to publish this obscenity, Fayose forked out the going price of N5 million.

    For a while, he was distracted from his macabre obsession with compassing Buhari’s death by the disclosures that have now enteredthe annals of electoral skullduggery as Ekiti-gate.

    On the eve of last June’s gubernatorial election in Ekiti, some leading PDP members and top officials of the Jonathan administration gathered at Fayose’s Spotless Hotel, in Ado-Ekiti, to put the finishing touches to their design for winning the poll.

    In attendance were Musiliu Obanikoro, Minister of State for Defence, Jelili Adesiyan, Minister of Police Affairs,  Brigadier-General A.A. Momah,  commanding officer of the 32 Artillery Brigade deployed to Ado Ekiti to supervise the poll.

    Also in attendance, probably for an on-the-spot assessment of the design that was to be pressed into service for him in the gubernatorial race in neighbouring Osun State several weeks later, was the PDP’s candidate, Iyiola Omisore.

    Unbeknownst to the schemers, the meeting was secretly recorded by Captain Sagir Koli, an aide to General Momah. The tape was posted online newspaper Saharareporters, after confirming that it was authentic.

    Fayose can be heard on the audiotape bullying and harrying Momah, charging that Momah had been taking a bribe from the APC to disarm the police and thus to clear the way for it to rig the poll.

    Obanikoro, who had all along denied being anywhere near Ado-Ekiti at the material time, can be heard declaring that he was on a mission from the President. He reminds Momah that his promotion lay more or less in his hands as Minister for the Army, and that he had better deliver.

    The tape contains just enough hints of the plot – how APC stalwarts were to be rounded up and detained and its field workers immobilised while only PDP operatives travelling in specially marked vehicles would have the field entirely to themselves.

    The plot is fleshed out in shocking detail in Koli’s deposition, including how one of the notorious Uba Brothers, rode into Ekiti at the head of a column of soldiers, with bus loads of cash taken out of the Central Bank in Umuahia, and how the military personnel in this special task force took their orders directly from Chris Uba, aforementioned.

    Only a person trained in reconnaissance could have reported in such precise and overwhelming detail how the gubernatorial election that brought Fayose to power for the second time was compromised, if not perverted. It makes frightening reading.

    When the audio surfaced on the web site of Saharareporters, Fayose stoutly denied its content, claiming that it was only the latest fabrication in a long line of fabrications by the APC, “the party of liars.”  He said no such meeting ever took place, and that his voice had been digitally manipulated to implicate him.

    “There are softwares (sic) that can re-create voices and even bring the voices of long-dead notable persons back to life,” Fayose reportedly said. “There are softwares (sic) that can turn printed text into synthesised speech, making it possible for anyone to use recordings of a person’s voice to utter new things that the person never said.  One of such softwares (sic) is called ‘Natural Voices.’”

    If this was Fayose speaking extempore rather than reading from a script that some bureaucratic hack prepared for him, the Higher National Diploma he parades from the Ibadan Polytechnic may well be authentic. Some might even be led to believe that he is actually a professor of cybernetics!

    It was only after several of the schemers named in the tape had fessed up to the fact of the meeting but not the purpose that Fayose admitted, without shame and without remorse, that he had indeed participated in it.

    To give Fayose his due, he did not threaten to go to court, as Obanikoro did. Even if the publication was false, Obanikoro’s recourse to the law courts would still be fruitless. Under American law, he would have to prove that the publication at issue was made with actual malice, .i.e. with knowing falsity, or with reckless disregard for its truth or falsity.

    That burden is almost insurmountable. And it explains why public figures rarely bring defamation lawsuits before American courts.

    If Fayose’s reaction to the Ekiti-gate was characteristically duplicitous, President Goodluck Jonathan’s was downright execrable. He would not waste his time investigating a fabrication, he told The Wall Street Journal long after some of the officials featured in the audiotape had admitted that they had met in Ado-Ekiti but for a different purpose, and long after Saharareporters had posted Koli’s damning account of rigging plan.

    How could Dr Jonathan, a scientist trained to be guided by empirical evidence, tell that the audio tape and the report were fabrications when he had not examined them?

    This is a repudiation of the scientific method.  No wonder Nigeria under Jonathan has been like a stalled caterpillar, its antennae probing in every direction, its body inert.

    Meanwhile, Fayose has resumed his ghoulish pastime – his Buhari death watch. No sooner was it announced that the APC presidential candidate would be going to the UK on a working visit than he released a bulletin on Buhari’s itinerary.

    Buhari, he said, had been ferried to a plane in the dead of night on a stretcher, and rushed to  London for urgent medical treatment. Buhari was not scheduled to speak at Chatham House, as his camp had claimed, was in the UK for one purpose only: to obtain  treatment.  Fayose even went on to name the hospital where Buhari was allegedly being treated.

    All this, Fayose exulted, was splendid vindication for the editorial advertisement he had placed in the papers several weeks ago warning that the APC had saddled Nigeria with a presidential candidate set to expire.

    Buhari has since been shown going about his business in the UK, including a photo-op with former British Prime Minister Tony Blair. His Chatham House talk is scheduled for Thursday.

    Nothing in all this has moved Fayose to admit error. Rather, he has now conflated his ghoulish obsession with what he says is revelation from on high that Buhari will never be president.

    A debauched mind’s hallucination, Governor, is no revelation.

  • APC renews call for probe of Ekiti alleged audio rigging tape

    APC renews call for probe of Ekiti alleged audio rigging tape

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) has renewed its call for a comprehensive probe of the alleged Ekiti audio rigging tape released by an army captain who recorded it.

    Its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, in a statement in Lagos yesterday, said it was wrong for anyone to label the tape a fake without a forensic investigation.

    The party noted that the issues exposed by the tape were too grievous to be swept under the carpet or dismissed on the basis of nothing, but gross partisanship.

    The investigation, APC stated, was necessary because of the alleged role the military played in the whole rigging scenario, and against the background of the court ruling against the deployment of troops for elections.

    ‘’If the government officials and politicians, whose voices were heard on the tape are not interested in clearing their names, what about the military institution that was dragged into the show of shame? Has the integrity of the military not been compromised by the alleged role of a general and hundreds of his troops in the rigging saga?’’ APC queried.

    The inconsistency of the Federal Government’s response to the whole saga, the party added, has exposed its underbelly and made it more urgent for a forensic investigation of the tape to be carried out.

    “First, those whose voices were heard on the tape rushed to deny there was any such meeting. Later, after they were confronted with a preponderance of evidence, they started owning up one by one, starting with Police Affairs Minister Jelili Adesiyan, then Minister of State for Defence Musiliu Obanikoro and then Ekiti Governor Ayodele Fayose, even though they all denied the meeting was about rigging. Of course, Nigerians know better.

    “But these men, on the basis of their initial denial, are no longer credible as far as the rigging tape is concerned, hence it is necessary to have an independent investigation of the whole issue,” it said.

    APC said while President Goodluck Jonathan had rushed to dismiss the authenticity of the tape, telling the Wall Street Journal “it’s all fabrications”, his campaign spokesman Femi Fani-Kayode said the exact opposite: “We have listened to the audio clip and we make bold to say that the discussion that took place in it did not make any mention of any form of rigging in the Ekiti State governorship election and neither did it contain any evidence of any conspiracy to rig.”

    The statement queried: “Can anyone listen to a non-existent audio tape? This confusion in the government circles is the clearest indication yet that they were so panicked by the revelation that they could not fashion out a coherent response to it, hence the discordant notes by the major culprits and their oga at the top!

    ‘’We sympathise with them, but we are more worried about the effect this revelation will have on a respectable national institution as the military, which was dragged into the rigging mess. This is why even the military itself must carry out its own investigation.

    “If an Army General could be so bullied into submission by political partisans, to the point where he said he will cry, what will they not do to any other military officer or men? Does this whole rigging saga not call into question the role of the military in elections?”

    The party vowed not to allow the issue to be swept under the carpet in the interest of the nation, praising the media and the citizenry for sustaining the discourse on the rigging tape.

  • Ekiti varsity students protest late registration fee

    Ekiti varsity students protest late registration fee

    •Police teargas protesters

    The imposition of a N10,000 late registration fee by the authorities of the Ekiti State University (EKSU) triggered a protest by the students yesterday.

    The placard-carrying students took to the streets of Ado-Ekiti, the state capital, as early as 7am, singing anti-management songs. They blocked the Ado-Iworoko Highway.

    The protest forced some motorists to use one side of the dual carriage way; others took alternative routes.

    Besides the contentious late registration fee, the students are also enraged by the N5,000 entrepreneurship fee, epileptic power supply on campus and closure of portals.

    The students marched on the Governor’s Office but were prevented by armed policemen, who teargassed them.

    The students regrouped at the gate of Christ’s School, where Governor Ayo Fayose came to “pacify” them.

    Their spokesman, who pleaded for anonymity, accused the management of making life difficult for them, by imposing what he called “underhand levies”.

    While calling for the abrogation of the late registration fee, the protest leader also called for the reversal of the entrepreneurship fee and advocated the reopening of the university portal.

    Fayose announced the reversal of the N10,000 registration fee and other issues, which triggered the protest.

    He said his administration would not interfere in the running of the university.

    On electricity, the governor urged the students, especially those living outside the campus, to tell their landlords to pay their electricity bills.

  • Ekiti: Ifa cannot be shamed

    Hardball, this morning, returns to the terrible beauty of the two Ifa political “donations” to Ekiti.

    One did good — at least by common infrastructure parameters — but was electorally(?) thrown out.  It is, however, thanks to the Ekiti rigging audiotapes, emerging that the so-called rejection would appear a farce, cooked by desperate politicians, aided and abetted by dishonourable soldiers, claiming an illicit charter from the Presidency — the apex of democratic Nigeria.  That one is Kayode Fayemi.

    The other did bad — and still, despite a rare second chance, however procured, is doing bad.  His first chance ended with an ignominious impeachment, with a sweeping after-odour of alleged sleaze, murder of innocent citizens, and gargantuan abuse of office.  Even, his second coming is appearing terribly cursed.  As candidate, his decorum was equivalent to that of a tout.  As governor-elect, he invaded, thugs in tow, the courts to shred court records, beat up judges and assault lawyers.  As governor, he is the very essence of a gubernatorial cad.  He is Ayo Fayose.

    But with the Ekiti rigging audiotapes, Fayose’s unsung end appears at hand. Only Fayose himself cannot see it!

    To recap, the Ekitigate rigging tapes: Ayo Fayose, then the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) gubernatorial candidate, was recorded, allegedly in his Spotless Hotel in Ado-Ekiti, with the likes of Jelili Adesiyan, Police Affairs minister, Musiliu Obanikoro, then Defence minister of state (Army), Iyiola Omisore, then Osun gubernatorial wannabe, with others, trying to hustle, muscle and bustle a truly pathetic Nigerian Army officer, Brig-Gen. Aliyu Momoh, on how their rigging manual was not being applied to the letter. Capt. Sagir Koli, the conscience-stricken intelligence officer attached to Momoh, secretly recorded the proceedings; and blew the whistle on the alleged electoral felons.

    True to type, Fayose first flatly denied his voice was on the tape, claiming — more of lying, really — that a voice software was used to fake his voice.  When Fayemi upped the ante, and played the tape on air on Adaba Radio, Akure, a Fayose side-kick challenged Fayemi to a public debate, though Fayemi boasts a PhD, and the Fayose sidekick, a proud NIJ diploma in journalism!

    Then the latest: Fayose, in a bad stutter, admitted he was indeed at the alleged plotters’ meeting.  But insisted he was there to rebuke the army officer to make the election more equitable!  Haba!  Whoever spewed out sweet nuts thrown into their mouths by malevolent spirits?

    The same Saharareporters that Fayose lied against to have invented his voice, via a voice software, had the special pleasure of broadcasting, online, Fayose’s recantation.  The same news portal claimed, in the Fayose follow-up report, that President Goodluck Jonathan allegedly told the Wallstreet Journal — quoting Saharareporters now — “that the tape was not ‘real’, stating that the incident will not be probed.”  It is up to the Jonathan presidential spokespersons to clear the air on that allegation.

    Now, back to Fayose, the Ekiti gubernatorial cad.  It is indeed sweet to hear he of stomach infrastructure, for once, stutter and cough, to execute an especially hard bluff and bluster.  But he must realise he must lay on his bed — bayonets and all — exactly as he had laid it.

    Fayose can be as caddish as he wants. But this he must know: Ifa will not be mocked!

  • Prosecute Igbemo violence suspects, says Ekiti APC

    Prosecute Igbemo violence suspects, says Ekiti APC

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ekiti State has urged the police to prosecute the suspected thugs, who allegedly unleashed terror on Igbemo-Ekiti community last Thursday.

    APC’s Publicity Secretary Taiwo Olatubosun, in a statement, said after APC members complained at the Igbemo police post and later at Iworoko Police Station, the victims were later re-invited to the Police Headquarters in Ado-Ekiti where they were arrested.

    He said the perpetrators of the violence rushed to the Police Headquarters to  complain that they were signage officials, who were prevented from carrying out their lawful duties.

    His words: “Our members were attacked and their houses destroyed. The attackers fired gunshots at them from Thursday night till early Friday morning. The abducted Igbemo citizens were dumped at the Special Anti- Robbery Squad detention cell since the wee hours of the morning and were only temporarily released Friday evening.

    “The thugs suspected to be working for Fayose were the first to rush to the State Headquarters to lodge a false complaint against them that they were on signage duty when Igbemo people attacked them.

    “One of the thugs who did most of the shooting with a pump action gun was seen in pictures with a bandage feigning head injury.

    “The victims who were released were rearrested on Saturday on the orders of the commissioner of police who said their houses should be searched because there was a complaint of gunrunning against them. We wonder the connection between signage officials and the petition against perceived opponents for gun running.

    “The people who languished in detention are the same people whose property and houses were vandalised and who were traumatised in the all-night shooting while the thugs who attacked them have turned the complainants and moving about freely. This is double jeopardy and injustice.”

  • Prosecute Igbemo violence suspects, says Ekiti APC

    Prosecute Igbemo violence suspects, says Ekiti APC

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ekiti State has urged the police to prosecute the suspected thugs, who allegedly unleashed terror on Igbemo-Ekiti community last Thursday.

    APC’s Publicity Secretary Taiwo Olatubosun, in a statement, said after APC members complained at the Igbemo police post and later at Iworoko Police Station, the victims were later re-invited to the Police Headquarters in Ado-Ekiti where they were arrested.

    He said the perpetrators of the violence rushed to the Police Headquarters to  complain that they were signage officials, who were prevented from carrying out their lawful duties.

    His words: “Our members were attacked and their houses destroyed. The attackers fired gunshots at them from Thursday night till early Friday morning. The abducted Igbemo citizens were dumped at the Special Anti- Robbery Squad detention cell since the wee hours of the morning and were only temporarily released Friday evening.

    “The thugs suspected to be working for Fayose were the first to rush to the State Headquarters to lodge a false complaint against them that they were on signage duty when Igbemo people attacked them.

    “One of the thugs who did most of the shooting with a pump action gun was seen in pictures with a bandage feigning head injury.

    “The victims who were released were rearrested on Saturday on the orders of the commissioner of police who said their houses should be searched because there was a complaint of gunrunning against them. We wonder the connection between signage officials and the petition against perceived opponents for gun running.

    “The people who languished in detention are the same people whose property and houses were vandalised and who were traumatised in the all-night shooting while the thugs who attacked them have turned the complainants and moving about freely. This is double jeopardy and injustice.”

  • Capt Koli: I recorded Ekiti rigging plot to stop military’s dirty work in politics.

    Capt Koli: I recorded Ekiti rigging plot to stop military’s dirty work in politics.

    Capt Sagir Koli, until a few weeks ago, was known to a few in the military intelligence circle, his family, colleagues at the 32 Artillery Brigade in Akure, the Ondo State capital, schoolmates and friends. But all that changed when he revealed a secret recording of the involvement of the military high command in ensuring victory for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the Ekiti State governorship election. The recording was done on June 20, a day to the election. He was drafted again to be part of the efforts to allegedly rig the Osun State governorship election last August. Then he made up his mind to let the cat out of the bag. His superior suspected he had something up his sleeves and started threatening him. It got to a head when he was tipped off about the plan to arrest him. He fled. In this exclusive interview with The Nation from his hideout, Koli, a graduate of Sociology from the Bayero University, Kano who voluntarily joined the military in 2005, laid bare the truth about how civilian authorities turned the military into a partisan institution.

     

    Prior to the meeting between your boss, Brig-Gen. Aliyu Momoh, Musiliu Obanikoro, Ayodele Fayose, Jelili Adesiyan and others at the Spotless Hotel, Ado-Ekiti on June 20 last year, what were the things you saw that made you decide to record the proceedings secretly?

    It depends on the manifestation of our operations there. When we got to Ekiti State, as military personnel, we were supposed to be apolitical, non-partisan and neutral. We were sent there purposely to provide an enabling environment for election to be conducted peacefully. That was our primary responsibility there. We were to ensure the security of the voters, observers, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) officials and any other person or organisation that was there to ensure a free and fair election. We were to provide security for them. But when we got to Ekiti, I discovered that we were taking sides with a political party. I tried to bring this to the knowledge of the command and the commander in particular. But I found out that he ( the commander ) was working based on plans. Two days to the election, I told my commander (Brig-Gen Momoh) that: “Sir the way we are going is negating our primary role here.” He categorically said: “By now you would have seen my direction. And all I want you guys to do is to follow my direction. I am working on directives.” From there I knew that we had compromised. I was the intelligence officer responsible for writing the situation report, which we call sitrep. Two days to the election, we changed from 12-hourly report to three-hourly situation report. We called it three-hourly sitrep. I was at the centre of where the election was being conducted in Ado-Ekiti. We had field commanders in all the 16 local government areas. If there was anything, they would call us at the Forward Operational Base (FOB) and we would tell them the next thing to do.

    So what prompted the meeting at Fayose’s Spotless Hotel?

    A day to the election, my commander said the then Minister of State for Defence (Musiliu Obanikoro) wanted to see him. Ordinarily if the minister of defence should come to your AR (Area of Responsibility), it is our duty to protect him. We went there. I was thinking we were going to be given further directives. When we got to Spotless Hotel in Ado-Ekiti, we entered and I saw PDP chieftains. Spotless Hotel was like Fayose’s campaign office. That was where thugs were kept. It was even part of our operational order to work with the thugs. When we entered a room and I saw the caliber of people there, I said: “This is the final stage of this compromise.”

    So, you started the secret recording?

    Immediately they started talking, when I noticed their mood, I said this is it. I had already made up my mind that something needed to be done about these people. I took oath of office to protect the constitution and to protect democratic institutions. Every commissioned officer, from 2nd Lieutenant, Lieutenant and Captain, was imbued with the value to protect the constitution. I am not a baby captain, my course mates will become majors. So, I said I had to record them. When they started, you know I am an Intelligence Officer; I am trained, so the way I will do the recording, you can never know. That is why up till today, some of them are still shocked about how it happened.

    Going by the countenance of Fayose at the meeting and other things you as an Intelligence Officer know about him what kind of a person would you say he is?

    Fayose is a thug. I know him very well. He knows me. His CSO before he became governor knows me very well. They know me. He is a violent man. I have to say it. Throughout my encounter with him, with his aides, he was always aggressive towards the opposition. Politics is not a do-or-die affair. It is about being the leader of the people, not dealing with the people. You are a leader and you should lead by example. If you don’t want harm to be inflicted on you, don’t inflict it on others. All Fayose wanted was to intimidate and arrest his opponents.

    Did you have any bad encounter with him?

    I personally had a bad encounter with him and my commander had to call me to order. My commander said that was Fayose’s nature. You know those of us who are Major, Captain and down, we don’t take nonsense. Once you are a civilian, we just see you as a bloody civilian. We don’t take any rubbish from you. My commander was looking at him as a candidate, I was looking at him as a bloody civilian. He talked rudely to me and I gave him back. So, he called my commander that I was rude to him.

    When was that?

    That was before that meeting. You know I had been in the state to do situation report. We went to him and the then incumbent governor. We had Operation IS (internal Security) in Ekiti State and Fayose as a stakeholder in the election, we had to meet him. The Election Security Committee, made up of the army, police, DSS and others, had to meet him. We brokered peace. So, I had encounters with him. You know the way he talks anyhow. He was talking to me that way and I gave it back to him. I said: “ Don’t talk to me like that. I am a commissioned Nigerian Army officer. I am not here for you or for anybody. Don’t talk to me like that.” He was looking at me and I told him: “If you talk to me anyhow, I will place you where you belong .” He then called my commander and the commander called me. I said: “ He can’t shout on me like that sir. I won’t take it.” His then CSO, I think his name is Adewuyi, speaks Hausa and he called me and pleaded with me to take it easy with his boss. I said no problem. The CSO said he served in Jos as a DSS man.

    Did your commander visit Fayemi when he assumed duties?

    Let  me be categorical to you: I forced the commander to go and see Dr Kayode Fayemi. Because of the fear that if they should see him in the Government House, they would say he has compromised and since he was sent to uproot him, the commander did not want to go and see the governor. I said: “Sir, this is the Chief Security Officer of this state. This is our Brigade. This is our AOR (Area of Responsibility), there is need for us to go and see the governor.” He said since I insisted, I should arrange it. I called the CSO, Akin and said: “Can you arrange a meeting between my commander and his Excellency.” He said yes. I said: “Please I want it today.” He said I should give him two hours. He later called me that we should come by 2pm. I told the commander and we went to the Government House.

    What happened at the meeting?

    When we got to the Governor’s Office, only me, the Garrison Commander Col Adukwu and he, three of us, entered the office. Dr. Kayode Fayemi said: “ General, you are welcome. I learnt you’ ve been in the state for long. By your schedule of duty, you have been busy.” You know he talks well. He said: “General, I believe in the military and I believe the military should be the one that will do justice to the election in this state.” He said he had doubts about the police. He said all he wanted was that the General should ensure lockdown and not allow anybody to come and cause trouble. He said: “Even if I lose this election, I want peace to reign in this state.” That was the governor’s remark. The commander said he would make sure things went well.

    After that did you remind him of the promise he made to the governor?

    After that I never mentioned anything about the other side to him again because I knew he never wanted to hear.

    Was there any point in time that Brig.-Gen. Momoh told you that he had direct instruction from President Goodluck Jonathan to ensure that the PDP won that election?

    He never mentioned the president’s name. He would always say: “I am working with the Presidency.” Of course, calls were coming from the Presidency. The SGF, Secretary to the Government of the Federation (Anyim Pius Anyim), was calling him. I know because I handled his phones. He coded the numbers. You will see Principal, you will see Master. He has it; Fayose has it. He would tell me “this phone if it is ringing, give me.” I would see “Master”. After the discussion, he would say see “this Presidency again, they are disturbing me. I am doing their work here”

    What was the role of Chris Uba in all of these?

    Chris Uba entered Ado-Ekiti a day to the election from Enugu with 16 commissioned officers. I was in Forward Operational Base (FOB) when an officer was asked to go and escort him from Akure airport. I saw him. He wore a green polo shirt and black trouser. I can remember all those things. They are still fresh in my memory. I saw him in FOB and I was like, what is a civilian doing here. A civilian is not supposed to be in the FOB. No. This is pure operational ground. It is there you give soldiers directives, you read the rules of engagement and tell them where and where to cover. A civilian is not expected to be at the FOB and I saw the man there. I was like haha. They told me he is Chris Uba. He is from Abuja. I said what the hell. Who is Chris Uba? I don’t care. They said I should look at him with the commander. When I saw him with the commander, I was alarmed.

    So, he came with some soldiers from Enugu?

    Yes. You know as officers, we know ourselves, especially if you are of the same rank. You meet in courses and exams and all that. I saw some officers and I asked one of them: “Bros, are you not serving in 82 Division?” He said: “Yes. We are here.” Then the officer who led them, Major Ujon, I know him very well. I said: “Sir, why are you in our AOR? Are we not capable?” He said: “ Koli, we are here o. We came with this man.” I said: “ To come and do what?” He said: “We are strike force.” Strike Force? I called him. He is my friend also. I said: “ Oga, be careful. Be careful. Your task here, you have to be very careful. See what we have been doing and I believe you people too were brought here to do the same thing.” He was alarmed. I told him: “Oga, you are with a civilian in the name of Chris Uba and so what? We are giving soldiers operational orders and a civilian is there. What is his business there?” He said: “Koli, mellow down. This is beyond me. If we talk, the civilian will call our superior and they would say we should follow what the civilian is saying. That is what we sent you for.”

    ” Was there monetary compensation to the officers and men?

    The Strike Force, mobile police, SSS, Civil Defence, police and military men were paid. Our Brigade RSM handled the payment. He was given the money to pay the Strike Force. N20, 000 each. After the payment, they were directed to different parts of the state, Ikole, Okemesi, Ikere and all other local governments. They were handed over to PDP supporters and thugs directly to work for them. That was the instruction and Chris Uba was there supervising to make sure it was done.

    Any funny encounter with Chris Uba?

    In the evening, I was asked to escort him to his hotel, Midas Hotel around Pathfinder Hotel. The commander said I should escort him. I carried soldiers and we went. When we got there, the hotel insisted on seeing the content of anything being taken inside . They said that was their regulation. I was shouting on the hotel people. But I know they were doing the right thing. I told Chris Uba: “Sir, please let us just respect them.” So, we opened the bags and I saw money inside and some other envelopes. We closed the bags and the man went into his room and I left. I told the commander I had checked in the man.

    What was the role of Adesiyan, Omisore and Obanikoro in the whole mess?

    They said they were in Ado-Ekiti for presidential assignment and the assignment was to ensure they were victorious in the election. They said they were not there to go and tell the president about failure and that the commander was key to the success. They said the seriousness of the assignment necessitated the caliber of men that were sent from Abuja. They said the commander must redouble his efforts and make sure victory was theirs. If not, he knew the consequences. They said they met in Abuja and worked out all the modalities with the commander in attendance. They wondered why they were hearing complaints from Fayose that some things were not going according to plan. They said they were there for victory and that by all means they will be victorious.

    At what point did Obanikoro tell the commander to be taking notes, did he actually take a pen and was took notes?

    Waoh! I was the one taking the notes for him. As he was talking, I was writing. He too was writing some. Immediately we ordered the arrest of Daramola and other people they said we should arrest. We called them because I know the local government. You could hear my voice in the recording. I know the stakeholders. I know the actors. I did the situation report. The commander asked where Daramola was and I said Ikole , and that We met him too. We met the two DGs who were campaign directors to preach peace. We told them: “It is your state, don’t burn it. It is your state. It is your resources. Everything is yours.” So, he said: “You know Daramola.” I said “yes”. Anybody the commander asked about I knew. That was why I was close to him because I knew everything he wanted. I always told him things the way they were.

    When you guys were leaving that meeting, did money exchange hands?

    Among us?

    I mean did Fayose, Omosore, Obanikoro give your commander money?

    They had given him money since. Our hotel was stocked with money. We said in Jewel Hotel along that Fayose Estate. We had money already, Ghana-must-go bags of money. They gave him money prior to that meeting.

    A day or two prior to the election, the APC held a rally and Amaechi was stopped from attending.

    What really happened? Adams Oshiomhole was also there. They gave us directives. When Amaechi, Adams Oshiomhole, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu were coming, they asked us not to allow them to enter. Later, they said we should give access to APC National Leader Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu. Asiwaju entered, but they said we should ground Amaechi and Adams Oshiomhole. Before the order came, Amaechi had landed in Akure Airport and was on his way to Ado-Ekiti. He passed Ikere when Capt Buete, a Workshop Officer in Akure, was tasked to go and ground Amaechi. He met him on the road after lkere. They told him to be careful with him since he is a governor but he should ground him . Amaechi asked why and they told him it was order from above. He said “directive from who? Who is the above?” He called commander and he said be calm but don’t allow him to enter. Oshiomhole landed in Akure and soldiers were at the airport and they told him there was a directive that he should not enter Akure. Oshiomhole just went back. They said they saw danger in not allowing Asiwaju in but that we must effect the one on Amaechi and Oshiomhole.

    To what extent do you think the military’s involvement in the Ekiti election helped swing victory in the way of Fayose?

    The military was handed over completely to Fayose and his men to work for them. That raised Fayose’s and his people’s morale. In Ekiti then on the election day, if military vehicle was passing, you would hear people shouting power, power, power. Everybody had seen that the military was backing Fayose. Secondly, on election day, we were to impose restriction. Fayose’s men were given unlimited access to move freely, pedestrian, vehicular, unrestricted access for the movement of INEC materials. Fayose said it in that recording that INEC had given them some materials which they printed out and he has a contact.

    What do they mean by contacts?

    Contacts are PDP supporters and thugs. They are thugs. I canned so many of them. I canned so many of them. That was why he was complaining that we were disarming his men. I personally asked soldiers to beat the hell out of them. So, that unlimited access really helped them to do what they did. The third point, we were used to arrest APC’s points’ men before the election. I can’t remember that person’s name. He stays in Oye Local Government Area. He was arrested with about N30 million meant for the payment of party agents. It is normal. It is legal. INEC told us that parties were allowed to pay their agents. He was grounded and only released after the election. I have the picture of that man. I pitied him. I told him to cool down. A protocol officer to the then governor was arrested too. A chieftain of the APC in Gbonyin Local Government Area, a chief and APC diehard, was arrested too. Many of them were. I was the one recording the arrests, sending the situation report. They made several arrests within the local government areas and they could not bring them to the FOB because of the distance, but they would call us to tell us that they had arrested so and so persons. All the arrests we made were APC people. If soldiers mistakenly arrested a PDP thug, the commander would ask them to release him immediately. These are the three things which helped PDP to win.

    Before Gen. Momoh was given the dirty assignment, did you know him?

    I didn’t know him before then. I am an Intelligence Officer. He is an Artillery Officer.

    What happened after the Ekiti election?

    I was thinking there would be change of tactics, that they would tell themselves this thing should stop. I was sent again to Osun for the same purpose. The Ekiti election was June, Osun was August. I was tasked again to go and rig in Osun. As an officer, my intention was not to record this thing and implicate anybody, but just to put a stop to the dirty work the military was being used to do in politics. I joined the Army voluntarily and I joined to serve. When I got to Osun State, I collated the operational report. When my commander got back to Osun, he said we were commended for what we did in Ekiti. He said we were going to repeat the same thing. I told myself I would not be part of it.

    How did you escape?

    When my superior felt something was wrong they ordered my arrest but before they came l got wind of it and knew there was danger. That was when I fled. They now went to my house at 32 Artillery Brigade in Owena Cantonment, Akure . My brother, a 15-year-old, was staying with me. He was going to Army School inside the barracks. They arrested him and he was with them for five months. They handcuffed and leg-chained him for five consecutive months because of the annoyance that I had something against them. They went to my father’s house. He stays in Kaduna. He built another house. The main house is what people know as my house but he has relocated to the new house now. They went there with soldiers one night. The watchman he left in the old house told them he was no longer staying there. They said he should open the gate. He opened and they met an empty house. They asked him where he relocated. My dad had told him never to reveal his new address to anybody. So, he told them he did not know and they left. In the morning, he went and told my dad that this was what happened. He said if they wanted to come to his house they should come. He said he would tell them ‘my son is with you and you are asking me about him. ‘ Since then, I have not heard anything.

    How did you get your brother out?

    We started a legal action. The lawyer went there and they denied him the right to see the boy and he now went back and filed a petition against them for detaining a minor. Secondly, the petition noted that my father was looking for his son who he handed over to the Nigerian Army since 2005. In my 10 years, I could even tell you the number of times I saw my parents. They were taking me from here to there. I even served in Sudan. So, when the lawyer now wrote a petition against them and he copied the National Human Rights Commission, that made them release the boy. They called the lawyer and released the boy to him. He gave them a two-week ultimatum in the petition and they released the boy before the end of the two weeks.

    How are your wife and children?

    I know that the next people they would harm are my wife and children. So, I took them to an unknown destination.

    Do you hope to return home someday?

    Nigeria is my nation and I did what I did because of the nation. I am a military officer I should aspire to be a General tomorrow, write defence policies for my country and protect the institutions of national power. I can’t see myself as a military officer who took oath of office only to be destroying the constitution of the land, destroying the most important institutions in the land. I can’t afford to see my country going in that direction. The military all over the world is professional. Military all over the world is apolitical. Military all over the world is non-partisan. Democracy cannot sustain itself without a formidable military backing it and once you politicise it, then there is no need for me being in uniform. I should join a political party. If I go back to my job, be it so but if because of this revelation I can’t go back to my work, that is how God wants it and I know my conscience is clear. The elections have been postponed on the basis of insecurity. Do you think six-weeks is enough to remedy the situation? It can never be enough because the insurgency has grown to a level that you cannot even quantify the fire power the insurgents have. You cannot quantify the kind of support they are having from inside and outside the country. You don’t know the number of men they have recruited and it is insurgency, mark you, it is very difficult battle to fight. And if for six years you cannot put a stop to it, is it in six weeks that you want to do it. Even the Niger Delta disarmament took the military almost a year. I don’t think six weeks will be enough to crush Boko Haram. Is it not the same Boko Haram that was fighting and about 1,070 soldiers were sent to Ekiti State. That is a battalion plus. Is it war? Before I left there were about six battalions and a division in Borno. Each battalion is 1000 soldiers. There are twelve battalions in the Northeast. Yet Boko Haram is still killing people. Is it in six weeks that you will stop that ? On a last note, are you homesick? I miss my family. I have parents. I have a wife and children. I have brothers. I have cousins. Everybody is a Nigerian.

  • Four abducted as thugs unleash terror in Ekiti communities

    Four abducted as thugs unleash terror in Ekiti communities

    Suspected political thugs on Thursday unleashed terror in three communities in Ekiti State attacking All Progressives Congress (APC) members and destroying their property.

    The communities where the thugs wreaked havoc are Igbemo-Ekiti in Irepodun/Ifelodun Local Government Area,  Ijan-Ekiti and Iluomoba-Ekiti both in Gbonyin Local Government Area.

    The hoodlums attacked the  residence of a member of the House of Assembly, Ayodeji Odu and the APC Publicity Secretary, Taiwo Olatubosun both in Igbemo. Four APC members were also abducted.

    Posters and billboards of APC candidates were vandalized by the hoodlums who were armed with guns and machetes.

    In a telephone conversation with our correspondent, Commissioner of Police, Mr Taiwo Lakanu, said he got information that some government officials were attacked at Igbemo and that “the command is investigating the incident.”

    The thugs were said to have attacked APC members holding a meeting on Thursday  in Igbemo before they returned in the early hours of Friday  to unleash more deadly attacks.

    The violence attacks took place as political parties signed a peace accord brokered by the state police command on Friday.

    Olatubosun, in a statement later in the day fingered the PDP-led government as the brains behind the attacks in Igbemo, Ijan and Iluomoba.

     He said: “They started their raids from Ijan-Ekiti where they shot sporadically to the air. Residents scampered to safety as thugs went about destroying APC candidates’ billboards and posters.

    “After Ijan-Ekiti operation, they headed for Iluomoba-Ekiti where APC ward meeting was disrupted. Billboards and posters of APC candidates, including the chairs and tables were destroyed before moving to other communities in Gbonyin to unleash violence”.

     He explained that the thugs returned to Igbemo-Ekiti at night in three Hilux vans backed by policemen shooting and destroying the billboards and posters of APC candidates, including those of  a member of Ekiti House of Assembly,Barrister Rotimi Odu.

     “It was during their night visit that these men in military uniform abducted   Chief Peter Akinsola a.k.a Pitoro, the senior brother of the Ward Chairman, Mr. Olusola Bello, Mr. Olujimi Ogunade, and 22-year-old, Adefemi Ojo.

    “Investigation has revealed that the abducted men are illegally detained at Fayose’s task force office along Iyin road Ado Ekiti”.

    Olatunbosun listed PDP members seen working with the thugs as Folorunso, Niran, Basiru Ajagbemokeferi, Ropo Akosile, Tosin, alias Tosco (a notorious criminal), Dada Fagbolagun and a Michael Daramola, who allegedly drove the thugs to the town.

    Olatubosun added that Ajayi Temisoro was matcheted while a pharmaceutical shop belonging  to an APC member, Olujimi Ogunade, was destroyed.

    A high Chief in the town, Chief Tunji Agamogo, the Onisara of Igbemo as well as one Ariyo Afao, a brother to Governor Fayose were seen with the thugs encouraging them and pointing to APC members’ houses.

     The APC spokesman called on the security agencies to intervene to save the lives of abducted members while also urging the police to be even-handed in the current violence being unleashed on APC members by PDP thugs.

    Meanwhile,  Governor Ayo Fayose and leaders of other political parties on Friday signed a peace accord towards ensuring violence-free general elections.

    The peace pact which was facilitated by the Ekiti Police Command was witnessed by the Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG)  in charge of Zone 8, Christopher Dega.

    The peace meeting was however shunned by some candidates.

    Fayose expressed  his disappointment concerning the absence  of other candidates at the meeting.

    Speaking before he signed the pact, Fayose pledged his commitment to maintenance of law and order and promised not to take vengeance against any political opponent.

    Fayose said: “Winning election in politics is an issue we should see as what God ordains and not about what we want to do. For me as a leader, the people in APC are my brothers including those in Labour Party and other parties.

    “God has chosen me not to hunt anybody; God has chosen me not to take vengeance. If I hear of any arrest by the Police, I always appeal to the Commissioner of Police to release them,  if the alleged offence is not life-threatening.

    “Fighting in election, snatching ballot boxes are no longer fashionable. Your connection with the Police won’t save you but your connection with the people. Candidates of all parties should be here; it is not good that we have few people coming here. I will maintain law and order and submit myself to law and order.I will not muzzle anybody because God will do what He will do.

    “In politics, we abuse each other; if you abuse me, I will abuse you back and if I cannot abuse you, I will look for somebody to abuse you. That is politics for you,” he added.

    “I, Ayo Fayose, will key into this peace process I will respect this peace process and ensure that this peace process works”.

    Dega explained that the peace accord is an attempt to allay fear and send a message to political gladiators to shun violence.

    According to him, election should be free of rancour, acrimony, ill-feelings and bad blood that undermine the credibility of election.

    The AIG warned politicians against the use of thugs and play the game of politics in accordance with the rules.

    Earlier in his address, the Commissioner of Police, Taiwo Lakanu, reminded politicians in the state that elections will come and go but scars left behind by violence sometimes linger forever.

    Lakanu said issues highlighted in the peace accord was to ensure peace ful conduct of the 2015 general elections in the state are issues in the electoral laws.

    He said the Police and other sister security agencies have resolved to continue to do everything possible to ensure safety of every stakeholder in the electoral process without bias or sentiment.

  • Four abducted as thugs unleash terror in Ekiti communities

    Suspected political thugs on Thursday unleashed terror in three communities in Ekiti State attacking All Progressives Congress (APC) members and destroying their property.

    The communities where the thugs wreaked havoc are Igbemo-Ekiti in Irepodun/Ifelodun Local Government Area,  Ijan-Ekiti and Iluomoba-Ekiti both in Gbonyin Local Government Area.

    The hoodlums attacked the  residence of a member of the House of Assembly, Ayodeji Odu and the APC Publicity Secretary, Taiwo Olatubosun both in Igbemo. Four APC members were also abducted.

    Posters and billboards of APC candidates were vandalized by the hoodlums who were armed with guns and machetes.

    In a telephone conversation with our correspondent, Commissioner of Police, Mr Taiwo Lakanu, said he got information that some government officials were attacked at Igbemo and that “the command is investigating the incident.”

    The thugs were said to have attacked APC members holding a meeting on Thursday  in Igbemo before they returned in the early hours of Friday  to unleash more deadly attacks.

    The violence attacks took place as political parties signed a peace accord brokered by the state police command on Friday.

    Olatubosun, in a statement later in the day fingered the PDP-led government as the brains behind the attacks in Igbemo, Ijan and Iluomoba.

     He said: “They started their raids from Ijan-Ekiti where they shot sporadically to the air. Residents scampered to safety as thugs went about destroying APC candidates’ billboards and posters.

    “After Ijan-Ekiti operation, they headed for Iluomoba-Ekiti where APC ward meeting was disrupted. Billboards and posters of APC candidates, including the chairs and tables were destroyed before moving to other communities in Gbonyin to unleash violence”.

     He explained that the thugs returned to Igbemo-Ekiti at night in three Hilux vans backed by policemen shooting and destroying the billboards and posters of APC candidates, including those of  a member of Ekiti House of Assembly,Barrister Rotimi Odu.

     “It was during their night visit that these men in military uniform abducted   Chief Peter Akinsola a.k.a Pitoro, the senior brother of the Ward Chairman, Mr. Olusola Bello, Mr. Olujimi Ogunade, and 22-year-old, Adefemi Ojo.

    “Investigation has revealed that the abducted men are illegally detained at Fayose’s task force office along Iyin road Ado Ekiti”.

    Olatunbosun listed PDP members seen working with the thugs as Folorunso, Niran, Basiru Ajagbemokeferi, Ropo Akosile, Tosin, alias Tosco (a notorious criminal), Dada Fagbolagun and a Michael Daramola, who allegedly drove the thugs to the town.

    Olatubosun added that Ajayi Temisoro was matcheted while a pharmaceutical shop belonging  to an APC member, Olujimi Ogunade, was destroyed.

    A high Chief in the town, Chief Tunji Agamogo, the Onisara of Igbemo as well as one Ariyo Afao, a brother to Governor Fayose were seen with the thugs encouraging them and pointing to APC members’ houses.

     The APC spokesman called on the security agencies to intervene to save the lives of abducted members while also urging the police to be even-handed in the current violence being unleashed on APC members by PDP thugs.

    Meanwhile,  Governor Ayo Fayose and leaders of other political parties on Friday signed a peace accord towards ensuring violence-free general elections.

    The peace pact which was facilitated by the Ekiti Police Command was witnessed by the Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG)  in charge of Zone 8, Christopher Dega.

    The peace meeting was however shunned by some candidates.

    Fayose expressed  his disappointment concerning the absence  of other candidates at the meeting.

    Speaking before he signed the pact, Fayose pledged his commitment to maintenance of law and order and promised not to take vengeance against any political opponent.

    Fayose said: “Winning election in politics is an issue we should see as what God ordains and not about what we want to do. For me as a leader, the people in APC are my brothers including those in Labour Party and other parties.

    “God has chosen me not to hunt anybody; God has chosen me not to take vengeance. If I hear of any arrest by the Police, I always appeal to the Commissioner of Police to release them,  if the alleged offence is not life-threatening.

    “Fighting in election, snatching ballot boxes are no longer fashionable. Your connection with the Police won’t save you but your connection with the people. Candidates of all parties should be here; it is not good that we have few people coming here. I will maintain law and order and submit myself to law and order.I will not muzzle anybody because God will do what He will do.

    “In politics, we abuse each other; if you abuse me, I will abuse you back and if I cannot abuse you, I will look for somebody to abuse you. That is politics for you,” he added.

    “I, Ayo Fayose, will key into this peace process I will respect this peace process and ensure that this peace process works”.

    Dega explained that the peace accord is an attempt to allay fear and send a message to political gladiators to shun violence.

    According to him, election should be free of rancour, acrimony, ill-feelings and bad blood that undermine the credibility of election.

    The AIG warned politicians against the use of thugs and play the game of politics in accordance with the rules.

    Earlier in his address, the Commissioner of Police, Taiwo Lakanu, reminded politicians in the state that elections will come and go but scars left behind by violence sometimes linger forever.

    Lakanu said issues highlighted in the peace accord was to ensure peace ful conduct of the 2015 general elections in the state are issues in the electoral laws.

    He said the Police and other sister security agencies have resolved to continue to do everything possible to ensure safety of every stakeholder in the electoral process without bias or sentiment.

  • When Ekiti joined the change chorus

    When Ekiti joined the change chorus

    The campaign train of the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, rolled into Ado-Ekiti, the Ekiti State capital, where the standard bearer unfolded his plan for the people. ODUNAYO OGUNMOLA writes on what transpired before, during and after the rally.

    It was a rally that shook Ado-Ekiti, the Ekiti State capital, to its foundation. The crowd was unprecedented. The young, the old and the aged were there. The organisation was excellent and the rally itself exhilarating. Few days after it was held, it was still being talked about as one of the best political rallies ever held in the state.

    This was the setting last Saturday, when the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential campaign rally was held. The rally provided the opportunity for the party’s presidential candidate, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, to canvass for votes.

    Incidentally, it was Buhari who commissioned the venue of the rally, the Ekiti Parapo Square, one of the legacy projects of the Dr. Kayode Fayemi administration in October shortly before the administration’s tenure expired.

    The excitement generated by the rally could be felt as early as 7.00 am when vehicles conveying broom-waving party enthusiasts were seen moving in the direction of the venue.

    The rally was the talk-of-the-town at various junctions and news stands in Ado and nearby Ikere, as residents engaged themselves in analysis of how the event would go.

    But, there were apprehensions in some quarters few days before the rally following attacks on APC targets by those suspected to be agents of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

    The state secretariat of the APC was attacked Wednesday preceding the rally. The homes of some leading lights of the party were also attacked.

    Fears were further heightened by alleged plan of Governor Ayo Fayose to hold a rally at Fajuyi Park, which is a major artery to Secretariat Road that leads to Ekiti Parapo Square where the APC rally was scheduled to hold the same day.

    APC members are yet to stop celebrating the success of the rally, despite alleged moves by the powers that be to frustrate it.

    The Nation learnt that it was the intervention of the highest echelon of security agencies that saved the state from being thrown into chaos, as they were said to have prevailed on the governor to shelve his planned counter-rally and leave the state to allow the opposition enjoy their day.

    The APC presidential campaign rally was to have been held on January 14, a day after that of the PDP was held at the Oluyemi Kayode Stadium, but was postponed to Saturday, January 24 to allow for better planning and organisation.

    The rally lived up to its billing. Ado-Ekiti was shut down for several hours, as residents gave Gen. Buhari and his team a rousing welcome.

    In every part of the city, the people were chanting “Sai Buhari! Sai Baba!” as they marched to the rally.

    Road shows were organised by APC members who thronged Ado-Ekiti from all the 16 local government areas. They looked resplendent in the ‘aso ebi’ emblazoned with their party’s logo and various T-shirts and fez caps  bearing the party’s logo and the candidates going for various elective positions.

    Law enforcement officers were at their best. The police, the Directorate of State Services (DSS), the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) and traffic wardens did a yeoman’s job to make the rally a success.

    Commissioner of Police Taiwo Lakanu personally supervised the security for the day. He was busy working on his phone and walkie-talkie, passing instructions and getting feedbacks on the situation of things.

    Vehicles and motorcycles were not allowed beyond a point, which was about 400 meters to the venue. Commercial vehicles, buses and bikes that brought people to the rally were not allowed beyond the point as a security measure.

    Adjoining streets such as Secretariat Road, otherwise known as Bank Road, NTA Road, New Iyin Road, Saliu Adeoti Road and Awedele Road, were lined with vehicles of those who came to the rally.

    The arena —- Ekiti Parapo Square —- was well-decorated for the event. It had been filled to capacity by noon. Singing, dancing, drumming and other razzmatazz were going on and party members and other spectators savoured the huge carnival.

    APC candidates for various elective positions mobilised their supporters from their constituencies to the rally. Such supporters clutched posters pasted on plank slates and danced behind their principals.

    Hawkers and sellers of various items made brisk business, selling caps, T-shirts, hats, calendars, bottled water, ice cream, soft drinks, confectionaries among others.

    The highpoint of the rally was the appearance of the Labour Party (LP) governorship candidate in the last governorship election, House of Representatives member Mr. Opeyemi Bamidele.

    Bamidele’s entry threw the arena into raptures, as he moved round acknowledging cheers from the enthusiastic crowd. He received a deafening ovation.

    Bamidele’s political family, Ekiti Bibiire Coalition, has agreed to work for the victory of Buhari and the APC in the presidential poll.

    Popular Fuji musician Saheed Osupa was on the band stand. Youths swarmed round Osupa’s band stand, dancing.

    Major television and radio stations, which gave the rally live coverage, positioned their Outside Broadcast (OB) Vans at strategic locations within the arena.

    Also, some PDP chieftains defected to the APC at the rally. They were all received by the party’s National Chairman, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun. They included former Speaker of the House of Assembly, Mr. Sola Ajigbolamu; former Commissioner for Information, Mr. Kayode Otitoju; former House of Assembly member, Mr. Amogunniyi Fadare.

    The crowd surged forward when the luxury bus conveying Buhari, Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola, former Ekiti State Governor Kayode Fayemi, Odigie-Oyegun and other national leaders entered the arena at about 1.50 pm.

    Other APC leaders at the rally include, the National Leader, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu; the Deputy National Chairman (South), Chief Segun Oni; former Interim National Chairman  Chief Bisi Akande; former Governor, Otunba Adeniyi Adebayo; Deputy Chairman of the party’s National Convention Committee, Alhaji Abubakar Kawu Baraje; Senate Minority Leader, Senator George Akume; Deputy Director-General of the APC Presidential Campaign Council, Senator Olorunnimbe Mamora.

    Aregbesola and Fayemi caused a stir when they sat on the top of the bus which conveyed them to the venue and waved brooms, the symbol of the party, to the cheering crowd.

    APC women also stole the show with their dance steps and footwork. Wife of the former governors, Mrs. Kemi Oni, Mrs. Bisi Fayemi and former Deputy Governor, Prof. Modupe Adelabu entered the arena together and moved round to acknowledge cheers from the crowd.

    The rally commenced at 2.05 pm, with Mrs. Ronke Okusanya saying the Christian prayer and Alhaji Afolabi Ogunlayi offering prayer in the Muslim way.

    Fayemi in his welcome address thanked the people of the state for proving to the whole world that Ekiti belongs to the progressive camp.

    Fayemi who was overwhelmed by the mammoth crowd said the turnout was a sign that Ekiti people have not deserted the APC. He stressed that “the mystery of June 21 shall not stand on the day of the presidential poll”.

    The former governor commended the people for trooping out in their thousands, defying the threats of the PDP-led government.

    Fayemi said: “I want to thank you for showing where Ekiti people are; for showing that Ekiti people have not deserted the progressive party.

    “You are determined to prove that the mystery of June 21 shall not stand. We thank God for what we are seeing today; you did not allow the brigands to disrupt this great occasion; you have stood like soldiers despite their threats.”

    Speaking in his capacity as the APC Southwest Coordinator of the Presidential Campaign, Governor Aregbesola urged the people to “change President Goodluck Jonathan with their votes” and replace him with Buhari.

    Aregbesola who spoke in Yoruba said Buhari represents the light that would drive the PDP darkness away. He accused the umbrella party of inflicting the Nigerian people with misery, hunger and poverty.

    He said: “The Yoruba race will not embark on unprofitable venture and the Yoruba cannot follow these evil people. We must liberate ourselves from this bad government and we must be part of the good government to be led by Buhari.

    “The accursed one has been threatening that we will not come to Ekiti, who owns Ekiti? We own Ekiti; the APC owns Ekiti.

    “When we take over government, my friend that is here will be sent out. He is dancing the dance of shame all around; tell him that the game is up for him.”

    Aregbesola promised that Buhari will give Ekiti an airport, good jobs for the youths and reduce poverty, if elected.

    The womenfolk were not left out in the speech-making ritual. The APC Southwest Presidential Campaign Women Coordinator, Mrs. Kemi Nelson, urged Ekiti people not to vote for the PDP-led government under whose watch over 200 girls were abducted.

    Former Ekiti First Lady, Mrs. Fayemi, urged voters to elect Buhari whom he said would protect the interest of women. She noted that women constitute the largest chunk of voters.

    Former Deputy Governor, Prof. Adelabu charged Ekiti electorate to cast their votes for Buhari because he has the pedigree to bring about the much-needed change in the lives of Nigerians, if elected.

    National Leader Asiwaju Tinubu said Buhari’s election as president would change the future of the people from poverty, hunger, unemployment to a glorious one.

    He said the Jonathan-led administration has no plan for the youths. He said under his watch, unemployment has become a nightmare and has indeed reached a level of notoriety with the deaths of scores of applicants during the immigration recruitment tragedy.

    Tinubu said a Buhari-led administration would liberate the youths. He stressed that “the Nigerian youths cannot afford to continue with this government of fake policies and fake ideas.”

    The former Lagos governor condemned the controversial death-wish advert placed by Governor Fayose against Buhari in selected national newspapers, saying Nigeria presently needs the wisdom of the aged to manage the affairs of the country.

    Tinubu recalled that when economic recession hit the United States, the country turned to the wisdom and experience of Ronald Reagan who ruled the country in his 70s. He equally paid tributes to the 19 APC members of the Ekiti House of Assembly led by the Speaker, Dr. Adewale Omirin, for standing firm against the alleged impunity of the Fayose administration.

    The APC leader deplored a situation in which seven PDP lawmakers passed the 2015 Appropriation Bill into Law in Ekiti Assembly and urged the people to reject the rascality being witnessed in the state.

    Tinubu also explained that Buhari has come to rescue Nigeria from the abyss of economic recession, insecurity and political instability President Jonathan has failed to address.

    He stressed that a Buhari administration would help revive the cocoa wealth the Southwest was renowned for, create jobs, ensure security of lives and property, put an end to insurgency and ensure that the kidnapped Chibok girls are rescued.

    Tinubu said: “They (PDP) have no wisdom to lead Nigeria; this is common sense revolution, jobs, education and empowerment. Go and pick your voter cards and don’t sell your tomorrow.”

    Tinubu also used the occasion to welcome Bamidele, saying: “We have forgiven Opeyemi Bamidele; he is now back home. He is no longer in the party of labourers.”

    Mamora, who represented the APC Presidential Campaign Director-General, Governor Chibuike Amaechi of Rivers State, said Nigerians are going to enthrone righteousness on the ticket that will give them restoration.

    Vice presidential candidate Prof. Yemi Osinbajo declared that the time of change has come.

    Osinbajo who urged Ekiti voters not to allow any “electoral magic” to repeat itself in the state promised that Buhari would stop corruption.

    His words: “Gen. Buhari will stop corruption and that is why they are afraid of him. It’s time for change in Nigeria, on election day, take your cards and go to voting centres and stay there until your votes are counted.”

    Odigie-Oyegun also deplored Fayose’s controversial advert suggesting that Buhari would not last in office, saying it is God that has power over the lifespan of man and not anybody.

    Buhari in his speech said corruption, insecurity and unemployment are the problems he would tackle headlong. He urged the electorate to assist in realising the dream by collecting their voter’s cards.

    The presidential flag bearer urged Nigerians to go to the polls on election day and vote the APC to make the change possible.

    “It is time to send the PDP packing; we will make sure that unemployment is tackled; we will take care of our youths, who are mostly unemployed.

    “Insecurity and corruption will receive our attention; we will reposition the education sector by employing qualified teachers, as well as prioritizing mining and agriculture to generate more employment for our people,” the APC standard bearer said.

    Buhari charged his supporters nationwide to ensure that they collect and utilise their permanent voter’s card, if they truly believe in his candidature.

    He told the crowd that he had understudied Nigeria and formulated a blueprint capable of accelerating rapid growth of the country.

    The rally came to an end at about 3.15 pm, but singing and dancing by the party faithful continued.

    The APC presidential candidate had earlier paid a courtesy call to the palace of Ewi of Ado Ekiti, Oba Adeyemo Adejugbe where he promised to give the traditional institution its  pride of place in the scheme of things, if elected.

    There was a massive traffic snarl after the rally in all parts of the city, as residents lined the streets to cheer the APC leaders who headed for Akure, the Ondo State capital, for the continuation of the campaign.

    Vehicles spent hours inside hold-ups in many parts of Ado-Ekiti after the rally, while some party members who could not endure the traffic congestion were seen trekking to other places that were less congested.

    Residents of Ado-Ekiti heaved a sigh of relief after the APC rally had ended, as no incident of violence was recorded.

    The rally has given hope to APC leaders and members that the party is still a force to be reckoned with in the state, despite losing the governorship seat to the PDP in the June 21, 2014 election.

    A member of the party from Ijero, Sola Ogunmodede, said the APC has proved with the rally that it is the most acceptable party to Ekiti people, judging by the mammoth crowd that welcomed Buhari to the state for the rally.

    Ogunmodede said: “In fact, we are all happy with what happened today and today is my happiest day. See this big crowd that attended our rally; we all came from our wards and local government areas.

    “What makes me happy most is that this is despite the fact that our party is no longer in power. If we can still pull a big crowd like this, it shows that Ekiti people’s eyes are now opened and they can no longer be deceived by the PDP again.”

    Femi Oso, a party member from Omuo, was of the view that Ekiti people have compared the APC-led government of Fayemi and the PDP led government of Fayose and they have seen the difference. He expressed hope that this will rub off positively for the APC at the general elections.

    Oso said: “The people of Ekiti have seen the difference between Fayemi’s government and Fayose’s government and they know that APC has a better programme and manifesto. The good things enjoyed under Fayemi like monthly stipends for aged people, monthly stipends for the youths and good welfare package for teachers and civil servants have been stopped by Fayose.

    “Next month’s general elections would offer them the opportunity to make a statement with their votes and I know that they will vote for the APC because they are fed up with the deceit of the PDP”.

    As the two major parties had conducted their presidential rallies, voters in Ekiti are eagerly waiting for March 28 when the first ballot will be cast at the presidential election.