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Tag: Ekiti

  • Ekiti will be great under Fayemi, say aides

    The people of Ekiti State have been advised to vote the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate, Dr. Kayode Fayemi for good governance and improved standard of living.

    This was the position of the body of Special Assistants and Senior Special Assistants, who served during the first tenure of Fayemi between October 2010 and October 2014.

    They said the period was “the golden era of Ekiti development in human capital development, infrastructure development, good governance and influx of investors and tourists to the land of honour.”

    Fayemi’s former aides pledged to work hard in their various localities to ensure the victory of the APC flag bearer in the July 14 election

    In a communique issued at the end of their meeting at the weekend, the forum’s chairman Dr. Femi Akinola urged voters to elect Fayemi to enable him bring his wealth of experience in governance to bear.

    Expressing total support for their former boss, the former aides commended Fayemi for performing excellently and for the socio-economic transformation of the state.

    According to the aides, Ekiti State in its political history, witnessed the remarkable development under Fayemi’s administration.

    They resolved to work for the success of Fayemi in the July 14 governorship election, saying Ekiti would be great again under  Fayemi.

  • 563, 051 PVCs collected in Ekiti, says INEC

    The Independent National Electoral Commission, (INEC) has indicated that a total of 563, 051 Permanent Voter Cards (PVC) have been collected by registered voters in Ekiti State, 27 days to the governorship election.

    Spokesman of the commission in the state, Taiwo Gbadegesin told News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Ado Ekiti on Monday that the state has a total of 913, 334 registered voters and that 353, 262 PVCs were yet to be collected by their owners.

    On preparations for the election, Gbadegesan said that INEC was 94 per cent ready, adding that it had already distributed “virtually” all the non-sensitive election materials to all the 16 local governments.

    He said the INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, would visit the state on July 10, to interact with candidates and officials of the 35 political parties, as well as other stakeholders participating in the election.

     

  • 563, 051 PVCs collected in Ekiti – INEC

    The Independent National Electoral Commission, (INEC) said on Monday a total of 563, 051 Permanent Voter Cards (PVC) have been collected by registered voters in Ekiti State, 27 days to the governorship election.

    Spokesman of the commission in the state, Taiwo Gbadegesin told newsmen in Ado Ekiti that the state has a total of 913, 334 registered voters.

    He said there were 353, 262 PVCs that were yet to be collected by their owners.

    Read Also: Ekiti 2018: Hold Fayose responsible for latest violence Adeyeye

    On preparations for the election, Gbadegesan said that INEC was 94 percent ready, adding that it had already distributed “virtually” all the non-sensitive election materials to all the 16 Local Governments in the state.

    According to him, INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu would visit the state on July 10, to interact with candidates and officials of the 35 political parties as well as other stakeholders participating in the election.

    NAN

  • Falana to Fed Govt, INEC: prevent vote-buying in Ekiti and Osun polls

    Lagos lawyer Mr. Femi Falana has urged the Federal Government to enforce the electoral law which criminalises vote-buying in the forthcoming governorship elections in Ekiti and Osun states.

    He said this would ensure the credibility of the elections.

    Falana made the plea in his keynote address at the national electoral stakeholders’ summit organised by Transition Monitoring Group (TMG) with support from the United Kingdom’s Department of International Development in Lagos.

    The frontline lawyer listed various impediments to credible elections, including vote-buying, bribery and conspiracy, noted that there had been no political will to criminalise the offence in Nigeria.

    He regretted that in the last few years, vote-buying and bribery during elections had been mind-blogging.

    Falana said: “In the last three or four elections, between 2015 and now, we have witnessed this disturbing phenomenon of vote-buying on the day of election. It is so embarrassing for us as a people because some of these elections are not monitored by our people alone but all over world. The foreigners will go back home and say that corruption has been institutionalised in Nigeria; that on the day of elections, voters are paid before casting their votes.”

    The lawyer said Nigeria was becoming a laughing stock among the comity of nations due to vote-buying during elections.

    He urged Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to use the forthcoming Ekiti and Osun governorship elections to implement the law against vote-buying.

    According to him, cases of vote-buying and other electoral offences are often discontinued by attorneys-general in some states.

    Falana said this had been a drawback on the nation’s desire to ensure credible polls.

    The lawyer called for an independent electoral offence panel, as stipulated in the Justice Muhammadu Lawal Uwais Penal Report, to deal with electoral offences in Nigeria.

    He said: “Many of the electoral offences committed during elections are often times quietly withdrawn by some attorneys-general in some states on the ground that the state is not willing to prosecute.”

    On the premise that many Nigerians were hungry and open to bribery on the day of elections, Falana challenged INEC, political parties and the National Orientation Agency (NOA) to begin enlightenment campaigns that would help Nigerians to demand answers to their problems from politicians.

    He said: “Nigerians across the country must get politicians to be accountable. Those we have elected, we must make them to account and justify why we should renew their mandate. Unless we do that we are not going to get out of criminality. Yes, people are hunger but it is never a justification for them to demand for money before voting.”

    TMG’s Chairperson Dr. Abiola Akiyode-Afolabi said the event was meant to create awareness and provide an opportunity for the public and stakeholders to bare their minds on grey areas in the electoral system that should be revisited to ensure a smooth transition from one democratically elected government to another.

    She called for collaboration between the media and civil society groups, as co-actors in the political space, to strengthen the process and the performances of INEC to ensure free, fair and credible elections in 2019.

     

  • Ekiti: Protect your land from external invasion, Fayose, others tell indigenes

    EKITI governor, Ayodele Fayose, has urged indigenes of the state to protect their land from invasion by kidnappers, Fulani Herdsmen, others. The governor made the call in tandem with a general clamour, at a no-holdsbarred session held with civil societies, to discuss the ways out of the multiple cases of kidnappings, destruction of farmlands by Fulani Herdsmen and other security vices plaguing the state. Speaking at the dialogue powered by a Pan Yoruba Socio-cultural Movement, Yoruba KOYA Movement, Fayose, founder, Afe Babalola University, Afe Babalola, Secretary General, Yoruba Council of Elders (YCE), Kunle Olajide, and the Iyaloja-General of Ekiti State, Waye Oso and several others unanimously declared that ‘Enough is enough.’ Commercial activities around Dave Hotel, Iworoko road, venue of the event in Ado-Ekiti, the Ekiti State capital, shut down for over five hours as representatives of the Vigilante Group of Nigeria (VGN), Hunters, Harmonized Surveillance Guard (HSG), Farmers, Market Men and Women, Oodua People’s Congress (OPC), Nigerian Artisan Technician Association (NATA) and several others joined the deliberations on security challenges plaguing the state.

    In his speech, Fayose said all Yoruba people irrespective of their political interest and religion should unite together to wage war against the invasion of Yoruba land by external forces. He said that self-defense against criminal elements masquerading as herdsmen, is not illegal, buttressing his position with biblical verses that only the courageous will make heaven. “Let me say very expressly, that, resistance is not easy but only the courageous wins. I was at Ibadan restructuring crusade organized by Afenifere in September 2017, all that I said there, I have no apology for them. “Yoruba people should be allowed to be in right places. If we are not allowed, we will all die.

    These poor people (pointing to the large crowd of participants) don’t have access to press but only people like you can help them. “I want to appeal to our people that this is a collective struggle. If you say you cannot defend yourself, someone wants to cut you, you want to wait and allow people shoot you? Even God does not appreciate cowards,” he said. The governor berated the police for not doing enough to protect the people, stressing that, the real police are the hunters and vigilantes in attendance at the event. Afe Babalola who was represented by a Prof. Deji Olofintila, said he had written several letters to the Directorate of State Services (DSS), the Police and Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps (NSCDC), on the need to step up surveillance across the state without any meaningful response. “This is our fight in Ekiti, I am shocked that an Ijebu man, Deji Osibogun, will come to Ekiti to mobilise our people. The role I played in the creation of Ekiti State cannot make me watch helplessly without doing anything.

  • Eid-el-Fitri: Police strengthen security in Borno, Yobe , Bauchi, Ekiti

    •Be security conscious, police tell Kano residents

    POLICE commands in  Yobe, Borno, Bauchi and Ekiti states have deployed special forces, including  men of the Explosive Ordinance Disposal (EOD), to secure all praying grounds as well as tackle political thugs and criminals.

    The measure in the Norther states, according to security sources, was aimed at combing praying ground and ensure no explosive was planted at the venue before worshipers arrive for their prayers today.

    Yobe and Borno states have also placed restriction on movement of vehicles and animals like donkeys and horses during prayers.

    In Yobe State, restriction of movement began from 10.00pm yesterday to 10.00m today, according to a statement by Abdullahi Bego, the director-general of Information and Press Affairs to Governor Ibrahim Gaidam.

    The restriction of movement, Bego said, will  exempt people on emergency services or those with security clearance.

    In Borno State, Police Commissioner Damian Chukwu announced that over 5,000 policemen are to be deployed during the Eid-el-Fitri celebration .

    Chukwu said suicide attacks on Maiduguri have necessitated the need for serious security.

    Police in Bauchi said they will be deploying 2,992 policemen to secure lives and properties in the state during the Eid-el-Fitir celebration.

    Conventional police, Mobile Force, Counter Terrorist Unit, Explosive Ordinance Disposal personnel, intelligence personnel, medical personnel and other operatives in the command will be deployed at strategic positions.

    The command’s spokesperson, Kamal Abubabakar, while quoting Police Commissioner Sanusi Lemu, assured residents: “The command is ready to protect lives and properties of all citizens resident in the state before, during and after the sallah.”

    Kano State Police Command advised Muslim worshipers and people attending recreational centres during the Eid-El-Fitri festivities to be security-conscious and report suspicious movements to security agencies.

    In a statement by the command’s Public Relations Officer, Superintendent of Police, Magaji Musa Majia, in Kano, Police said they have put machinery in place to ensure adequate security of lives and property during the Sallah celebrations.

    The police in Ekiti State said they have beefed up security in a bid to forestall breakdown of law and order and as parties embark on political campaign ahead of the July 14 poll.

    The command also said the security measure was also aimed at ensuring a peaceful celebration of Eid-el-Fitri.

    A statement by the command spokesman, Mr. Caleb Ikechukwu, warned political thugs and miscreants to eschew violence during the Sallah.

    It threatened that the police would deal decisively with troublemakers caught.

    He said: “We assure the good people of Ekiti State that police shall be alive to their responsibility during this celebration.

    “We are fully prepared to deal with hoodlums, political thugs, and other disgruntled elements that may cause panic among the public during this period and we will collaborate with sister security agencies and stakeholders to ensure peaceful hitch-free celebration.

    “To this effect, the command has deployed enough officers and men in all praying grounds and venues of events in the state.”

     

     

     

  • Ekiti 2018: Bamidele named Fayemi’s campaign DG

    Former House of Representatives member, Mr. Opeyemi Bamidele, has been named as the Director-General of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Governorship Campaign Council in Ekiti State.

     

    The APC candidate, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, announced the appointment at a news conference in Ado-Ekiti on Sunday shortly after the party inaugurated the State Campaign Council.

     

    The State Campaign Council, he said, will work with the National Campaign Council headed by Kebbi State Governor Atiku Bagudu to achieve victory for the party at the July 14 poll.

     

    Chairmen of the various committees in the State Campaign Council include Otunba Niyi Adebayo (Finance) Hon Femi Bamsile (Mobilisation Committee), Mrs Bisi Fayemi (Women Committee), Hon Omowumi Ogunlola (Welfare and Protocol), Mr. Biodun Fasakin (Legal Committee), Mr. Taiwo Olatunbosun (Media and Publicity), Mr. Alaba Abejide (Contact),

    Dr Bayo Orire (Health), Mr. Femi Ogundare (Youth), Group Capt. Ropo Ayegbusi (Security) and Chief Awe (Special Purpose).

     

    Fayemi revealed that the flag off rally will be held on June 19 by the party’s national leadership while the final grand rally has been slated for July 10 to be led by President Muhammadu Buhari.

     

    He added that many bigwigs in the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) will defect to APC in the course of the electioneering.

     

    The APC flag bearer said the campaign will reach all the 130 towns and villages in the state to sell the party’s development agenda to the electorate.

     

    Fayemi, also used the forum to debunk a story in a national newspaper (not The Nation) that Bamidele has been flown to the United Kingdom for post-surgery treatment.

     

    The former Minister of Mines and Steel Development disclosed that he was with Bamidele in Lagos till 1.00 am on Sunday where he is recuperating from the wounds received at a shooting incident at the party secretariat on June 1.

     

    Fayemi explained that Bamidele had been nominated for the position of campaign chief before the shooting incident and would remain in that position despite his present condition.

     

    “We thank God that those injured during the last (shooting) incident are recuperating well and I want to emphasize that Hon. Bamidele is in Nigeria, he has not gone anywhere.

     

    “Hon. Opeyemi Bamidele is still with Nigeria, I was with him this morning and he is fast recuperating well.

     

    “He is well and recuperating and anytime he decides to leave Nigeria, we will share the information. He intends to be in Nigeria until the times he decides to leave.

     

    “Hon. Bamidele has accepted to be the Director General of the Campaign and in his absence (for now), the Deputy Director General will carry on with the work in collaboration with the party.”

     

    Fayemi disclosed that the full campaign of the APC commences on Monday with a visit to Ekiti East Local Government Area noting that house-to-house and unit-by-unit canvassing had begun earlier.

     

    He added that his team has been meeting with various interest groups like market women, core civil servants, teachers, artisans, private sector, youths, students, election observers, among others.

     

    Fayemi disclosed that another team led by the deputy governorship campaign, Chief Bisi Egbeyemi, has been meeting with traditional rulers seeking their support for the APC ticket.

     

    While noting that there is a lot of interest in the Ekiti poll, Fayemi said he and his team had met with representatives of the governments of the United States, the United Kingdom, the European Union and the Election Situation Room.

     

    He said: “We have an intelligence that some individuals were planning to cause mayhem in the course of the electioneering but expressed confidence in the security agencies to deal with any situation that may arise.”

     

    Fayemi gave a commitment on behalf of his party to run a peaceful campaign while calling on security agencies to protect party members against any form of attack.

     

    He added: “Security agencies met with our chairman and chairmen of other parties and we have furnished them with the intelligence of a plot to wreak violence.

     

    “We believe our security agencies will do everything possible to prevent outbreak of violence. During our campaigns, we will continue to receive members from the opposition party (PDP).

     

    “Senior figures (In PDP) will keep decamping to our party and we will continue to receive them. It will be clear to you that by the time the process ends, no one will be left in the PDP.

     

    “As far as we are concerned in APC, we remain united and intact and every aspirant has donated one thing or the other including vehicles and their men to the campaign.”

     

    Earlier, the APC Chairman, Chief Olajide Awe, promised to give the State Campaign Council and its various committees maximum support to achieve victory.

     

    Awe urged party members to go to all nooks and crannies of the state to sell their candidate to the electorate.

  • Ekiti: PPC petitions INEC

    Providence Peoples Congress (PPC) has alleged that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) was making moves to exclude it from taking part in the July 14 gubernatorial election in Ekiti State.

    The national chairman of PPC, Mr Benson Adetona, explained that INEC has taken some drastic steps to frustrate the activities of his party and debar it from political participation.

    He stressed further that the PPC would institute a legal action against the electoral umpire if it fails to reverse the unjustifiable “negative decision.”

    He described the action by INEC as a deliberate one, adding that PPC has petitioned the INEC national chairman with warning notice that INEC should reverse the action against the party within the stipulated days.

    In the statement, the PPC said, “INEC published a time table dated 5th Day of October 2017 and signed by the secretary to the commission which determines all activities by political parties in pursuance of the forthcoming Ekiti State election.

    “The statement listed on the time table to be submitted by the 15th day of May 2018 are forms CF001 and CF002, PPC complied with all the regulations.”

    The submissions in Abuja were supposed to close on the said 15th day of May, 2018.

    The statement also maintained that upon presenting PPC documents for acceptance at the INEC head office on May 14, 2018, the officer in charge instructed PPC to file additional documents, which were not listed on the time table and refused to accept PPC’s documents without these additions, being Forms EC 4 (V) (VI). The officer in charge in addition also told us that we would be able to file after May 15, 2018.

    “Upon presenting the Party’s Document on May 17, 2018 pursuant to INEC officers’ direction and representations, PPC was informed by the same officer that the deadline for submissions had closed and that our documents could not be accepted for submissions.”

    The party observed that the misrepresentation by INEC would cause the party to miss out on the forthcoming Ekiti elections and urged INEC chairman to use his good office to address the situation given the fact that the party has complied with all INEC requirements.

     

  • Ekiti, Kwara APC hails Buhari

    THE Ekiti State All Progressives Congress (APC) and a faction of the party in Kwara State  have praised President Muhammadu Buhari for honouring the late businessman and politician, Chief Moshood Kashimawo Abiola, with a posthumous award of the Grand Commander of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (GCFR).

    The party also applauded Buhari for awarding Abiola’s running mate,

    Alhaji Baba Gana Kingibe and the late human rights lawyer, Chief Gani

    Fawehinmi, the Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger (GCON) and declaring June 12 as the Democracy Day.

    The Ekiti State APC, in a statement, in Ado-Ekiti by its Publicity Secretary, Taiwo Olatunbosun, praised Buhari for displaying a rare courage to address the nagging question on the relevance of June 12 election in Nigeria’s democratic credentials.

    The President, he said, had put to rest the pretensions and injustice inherent in the most peaceful and transparent election in the nation’s electoral process.

    “Abiola is adjudged the winner and hero of our democracy for standing against the jackboots of the military dictators and paying the supreme price for being a resolute democrat.

    “Abiola won the freest and fairest election without religious and tribal sentiments in the history of electoral process and democratisation in Nigeria, but most unfortunately, the conspiracy of the same capitalism agents that truncated Nigerians’ dream to have the late MKO Abiola as the President are now in PDP, which benefited and assumed the control of our national government on the strength of June 12 symbolic history, struggle and sacrifice.

    “After profiting bountifully from the blood of MKO, they decided to selfishly and wickedly ignore that iconic national symbol and hero of democracy to give him a deserved place in history.

    “Today, we are happy that another hero of democracy without tribal sentiment, who is also a progressive leader, President Buhari, has

    demonstrated integrity by not only honouring this fact of history, but

    has also done honour to the hero of democracy, who sacrificed his life

    to ensure that democracy establishes root in Nigeria,” he said.

    The APC Kwara faction, led by Hon Bashir Bolarinwa, said: “We are indeed appreciative of the historic move by the people’s president who has always shown that he is holding in trust the mandate of the people.

    “Nigerians have always trusted President Buhari knowing fully well that he has everything to reposition the country and restore her lost glory.

    “It is heartwarming that he has laid to final rest the agitation of many years for the acclaimed winner of the June 12, 2003 presidential election,  Chief MKO Abiola, to be recognised and declared accordingly. The conferment of the highest honor (GFCR) on the acclaimed winner of June 12 presidential election is a watershed.”

     

  • Akeredolu to Fayose: you can’t stop me from election campaign in Ekiti

    The Ondo State government yesterday faulted the statement credited to Ekiti State Governor Ayodele Fayose through his media aide, Lere Olayinka, castigating Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu (SAN).

    Fayose had accused Akeredolu of bringing 150 policemen to Ado-Ekiti, the Ekiti State capital, last Friday, to instigate the gun attack in which four persons, including an All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain, Opeyemi Bamidele, were injured.

    He repeated the accusation that Akeredolu planned to use Ondo State’s two months’ allocation to fund the electioneering of the APC governorship candidate in Ekiti State, Dr. Kayode Fayemi.

    A statement by Ondo State Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Yemi Olowolabi, said: “Ordinarily, we would have ignored all the deliberate lies and falsehood, but we felt that we would not be the public, if such lies were not debunked.

    “For the information of the doubters, Governor Akeredolu, even if provoked, cannot debase his personality to a level that he will sacrifice the interests of his people for pecuniary gains.

    “Instead of engaging in hypocritical activities, like eating at motor parks and cutting ponmo (cow hide delicacy) at the market square, Akeredolu is currently applying the public resources for the betterment of the lives of the people of the state.

    “So, it is interesting to state that Ondo is witnessing massive infrastructural development in all sectors of the state. On Monday, at the State Executive Council (Exco) meeting, a number of projects were approved for execution. That’s how development is moving in Ondo State.

    “Governor Fayose and his boy should be reminded that the Akeredolu-led administration has performed creditably well in the last one year and few months.

    “On last Friday’s gun attack in Ekiti, we would like to refer Fayose to a statement by the Ekiti State police spokesperson Caleb Okechukwu, who cleared the air on the issue. Investigation by the police had revealed that the shooter was a police officer brought from Lagos by an Ekiti politician.

    “For this revelation, we believe that the Ekiti governor and his cohorts will now bury their heads in shame.

    “We, therefore, call the security agencies in the country to take note of the false accusation levelled against Akeredolu by Fayose and his town crier, who, only a few years ago, wrote a detailed report about the devious activities of his master.

    “It is also important for Lere and his boss to know one very important fact that unlike his boss, we are committed to the progress and peaceful co-existence between the state and Ekiti. I mean, weren’t we one before October, 1996? The seed of discord Fayose is trying to plant between the two states will not germinate, no matter how cunning he is.

    “We will love to state here categorically that Governor Akeredolu reserves every right to show support for the candidate of his party in Ekiti State, just as Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike and the rest are showing support for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state.

    “There is no law that prohibits Fayose and the PDP from making issues out of this because of the smell of defeat that has overwhelmed them.

    “Fayose also tried to rewrite the sad incident that occurred last Friday, claiming that the tear gas canisters that hit a taxi driver was fired by the policemen that accompanied the thugs from Akure.

    “Residents of Ekiti and those who were present during the incident knew that the pandemonium that greeted the shooting at the APC secretariat necessitated the tear gas canisters fired by the policemen.

    “Please, note that the policemen who fired the tear gas canisters were duly drafted to the secretariat by the Ekiti State Police Command to forestall the breakdown of law and order…”