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Tag: Kayode Fayemi

  • Ekiti 2018: Police helped APC to buy votes, says Ekiti PDP

    The Ekiti State Chapter of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has accused the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of colluding with the Police to rig Saturday’s governorship election.

    Ekiti PDP Chairman, Chief Gboyega Oguntuase, also accused the Police of complicity in the alleged sharing of money to voters on the day of the election.

    Oguntuase who accused the All Progressives Congress (APC) of engaging in what he called “see-and-buy” to induce voters absolved his party of participating in the alleged cash-for-vote saga.

    Addressing a news conference at the party secretariat on Monday, Oguntuase alleged that the governor-elect, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, is holding what he called a “stolen mandate” which he vowed will be retrieved at the tribunal.

    He claimed that Ekiti people have been in “mourning mood” since the result of the governorship poll was announced by INEC on Saturday alleging that the exercise was neither free nor fair.

    Oguntuase alleged that “the will of Ekiti people was bought and their conscience purchased” with funds mobilized to the state by the APC to secure victory at the poll.

    Read Also: Ekiti: We will reclaim mandate in court, says Fayose

    He disclosed that the party has been receiving calls from many prominent Nigerians whom he said have encouraged the party to proceed to the court of law to seek redress on the election result.

    Pointing out some infractions to be challenged before the Election Petition Tribunal, Oguntuase, a lawyer, alleged that votes allotted by INEC were more than accredited voters.

    The PDP boss alleged that about 20 members of the party including four aides of the Chief of Staff to the Governor, Chief Dipo Anisulowo are still being detained and kept in unknown places.

    He identified some victims of alleged APC attacks to include House of Assembly member, Dr. Samuel Omotoso; Commissioner for Public Utilities, mr. Tunde Ogunleye; a PDP member in Ikole, Moji Eleja; former Ado-Ekiti council chairman, Mr. Taye Fasuba; younger brother to deputy governorship candidate, Mr. Deji Ogunsakin;

    Oguntuase condemned the deployment of about 30,000 policemen for the election alleging that they came to Ekiti to work for APC.

    He alleged that agents of PDP were chased away by people he described as APC thugs given security cover by the Police.

    Oguntuase also condemned the alleged invasion of Ekiti by senior government officials of neighboring APC-controlled states claiming that the Secretary to the State Government of one of the states alleged perpetrated mayhem in Ilejemeje local government area.

  • Ekiti: Don’t disappoint the people, IPAC tells Fayemi

    The Inter-Party Advisory Council ( IPAC ) on Monday congratulated Dr Kayode Fayemi on his victory in Saturday’s governorship election in Ekiti State .

    The Chairman of IPAC in the state, Mr Ilesanmi Omolayo, congratulated Fayemi while speaking with our reporter on telephone from Ado-Ekiti.

    He said the victory of Fayemi, candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), over his closest rival,Prof. Olushola Eleka of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), reflected the will of the people.

    Omolayo said that with Fayemi’s election, the people had put their trust in him to better their lots, urging the governor-elect to work to meet their expectations and not disappoint them.

    “We congratulate Dr Fayemi on his election as the new governor of our dear state and wish him all the best.

    “We believe the outcome of the election reflects the will of the people. The people actually spoke.

    “However, we urge Fayemi to see his victory as a call to service to meet the expectations of Ekiti people.

    “We advise him not to betray the trust reposed in him and disappoint them, but to work for the collective interest of everyone in the state”, he said.

    The IPAC chairman also lauded the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for what he called the credible conduct of the election.

    He said IPAC was pleased with the conduct by INEC and efforts of security agents and other stakeholders to make the election a success.

    Omolayo dismissed complaints in some quarters that the election result was manipulated, describing such as baseless.

    “You see when some people’s expectations in elections are not realised, they tend to say all sorts of things.

    “For the records, the results of the last Saturday election in Ekiti were not manipulated. I can say this, because IPAC monitored the whole process.

    “in fact, I moved from one local government to another on the election day, and I can tell that the whole process was transparent.

    “At the final collation centre, I, as IPAC chairman, was the one that opened all the ballot boxes and everything was sorted out and counted in the presence of everybody.

    “I urge everyone to put politics aside and accept the fact that the election was okay. We should all join hands with the governor-elect to move Ekiti forward,” he said.

  • Ekiti: PDP is irreparably broken, dismantled – Presidency 

    *Ekiti: Fayose’s political career sealed – Presidency 

    *Says Ekiti people have rejected stomach infrastructure

    *Ekiti: Credit goes to Tinubu – Presidency

    With the victory of the Ekiti State Gov-Elect, Kayode Fayemi, in the governorship election in the state at the weekend, the Presidency on Sunday said that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is irreparably broken and dismantled with the outcome.

    In an article entitled ‘Fayose: In The End, A High-Powered Nothing’, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and publicity, Garba Shehu, said that Fayose’s political career is now sealed for good with the loss by his party.

    According to him, much credit for the victory of Fayemi goes to the National Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Ahmed Bola Tinubu.

    He said “The people of the politically significant State of Ekiti have spoken against their Governor, outgoing governor, Mr. Ayodele Fayose, who told them that the governorship election they just had was a referendum on President Muhammadu Buhari. He said candidates Kayode Fayemi and Olusola Eleka were pawns and that he and President Buhari were the actual contestants.

    “In what observers said was the most intense, and a most angry campaign, the people gave their verdict: Dr. Kayode Fayemi, the one-time governor, declared persona-non-grata is now persona-grata again. President Buhari has won this referendum. The people of the State have sent a clear message. The politics of brinksmanship, assaults, insults, abuses and Robin Hoodism disguised as stomach infrastructure has been rejected in favour of politics of inclusion, development, responsibility and good governance.

    “President Buhari’s war against corruption and insecurity; the message of agric revolution and infrastructure development and fidelity in resource allocation and management have struck a chord with Ekiti voters, who had been lied to and deceived by Governor Fayose. While the opposition continued to rant at him, President Buhari’s uprightness, coupled with incorruptibility and personal integrity, unmatched by any politician in the country has again stood the test of time.

    “The All Progressives Congress (APC) win in Ekiti means that the Party has control over 25 out of the 36 states of the Federation. The party thus becomes the only one in power in the six states of the South-West geopolitical zone.

    “Besides reinforcing the APC’s position as the only standing pole in the political landscape, it is a credit to the national leader of the party, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, against whom all manner of ethnic and religious opposition is being mounted by former President Obasanjo and some of the Asiwaju’s sworn enemies in the sub-region.

    “With this, the political landscape of the South-West has been transformed. APC’s regional strength has been strengthened and the Asiwaju will be respected even better. Without losing patience and decorum, the Asiwaju has proved that rivals must reconcile and come to terms or lose everything.

    “This win is equally a huge boost to the APC and its new leadership under Chairman Adams Oshiomole, who got their first baptism of fire in Ekiti. It is, importantly, a big boost to the second term ambition of President Muhammadu Buhari.” he said

    Speaking on PDP, he said “For the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) which came second in the election in a state that they held sway, it is a loss politically and psychologically. The result of the election has proved that PDP is irreparably broken and dismantled. They have nothing to offer to the country and its people. The message from Ekiti is that no state in Nigeria will vote PDP. Never again.

    Read also:  Blackmailing observer groups won’t save Fayose from defeat -Fayemi

    “As for Mr. Fayose and his morbid brand of politics, it is now his time to reconcile himself to the imminent political extinction he faces, his political career sealed for good. Newspapers have mistaken him for a gadfly who creates discomfort for the government at the centre to make it better, but Fayose is a street-type thug. He never fits the role of a gadfly because he thrives on bitter enmity. Opposition does not mean a negative view of everything. Neither does it translate into a licence to abuse your superiors.

    “The winner of the election, Governor Fayemi’s trajectory from a persona-non-grata to a persona-grata again has given a wave of cheer to APC members all over the country. It has given a fresh hope that fake news, lies and propaganda run only short distances, because they have short legs.

    “An old proverb says you can’t beat something with nothing. After all the noise, theatricals and drama, Fayose’s fall came with a thud, not a bang: a high-powered nothing.” he stated

  • Olusola to challenge Fayemi’s victory in court

    …says Fayemi’s victory ‘most audacious robbery’

    Defeated People’s Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Professor Kolapo Olusola, has vowed to challenge the victory of the governor-elect, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, at the Election Petitions Tribunal.

    Olusola described Fayemi’s victory as “the most audacious electoral robbery of our recent history.”

    Addressing a news conference in his office on Sunday, Olusola claimed that he won the election with more than 70 per cent of valid votes cast in the 16 council areas and vowed to reclaim his ‘mandate’ by judicial means.

    He alleged that the All Progressives Congress (APC) leveraged on federal might to pervert the electoral process, subvert the will of Ekiti people and viciously steal the ‘mandate’ freely given to him.

    Olusola said: “I therefore reject the falsified results being bandied by the Independent National Electoral Commission, which purportedly gave the election to the All Progressives Congress and its Candidate; Dr. John Kayode Fayemi.

    “This is the most audacious electoral robbery of our recent history. It shall not stand. By the grace of Almighty God and your support, I will pursue and regain my mandate.

    “To rig this election, the APC leveraged on its well-advertised but patently obnoxious and anti-democratic “Federal might” to intimidate, harass, victimize, oppress, and brutalize PDP leaders, members, and the voting public all over Ekiti.

    “This brutal and barbaric process, which started well before the election, did not spare Gov. Ayo Fayose and me; as the whole world had seen and had condemned. It is quite unfortunate that the harassment has continued even after the election.

    “On Saturday, July 14th, the security agencies and INEC upped the ante, threw all caution to the wind, went back on their promises to be impartial and to conduct credible elections; they sided with APC and Fayemi to the chagrin of our party, myself, and the good people of Ekiti State.”

    Some of the alleged infractions, Olusola promised to challenge in court include the alleged indiscriminate arrest of our party leaders and agents and the harassment and brutalization of voters on a massive scale, especially in Ado-Ekiti, Ikere and the suburbs.

    Olusola also complained on alleged giving cover, tacit, as well as active support to thugs imported into Ekiti by APC to snatch ballot boxes, create confusion, cause mayhem, and drive away voters in PDP strongholds.

    He also promised to provide evidence on the alleged giving of cover to APC agents as they financially and openly induced voters and bought votes at polling stations.

    Olusola deplored alleged driving away our polling agents from collation centres and illegal seizure of documents and materials in their possession, among many other infractions.

    He added: “INEC on its own part reneged on its promise to have results counted, declared, and pasted on the wall of each polling station.

    “There was nowhere INEC transmitted results from the polling centres as earlier promised.

    “Ballot boxes were illegally moved to INEC offices while our agents were disallowed from following the process. INEC also allowed late voting by APC in hideouts when it was obvious the figures still would not add up after all the infractions mentioned above.

    Read also: Ekiti 2018: Ambode congratulates Fayemi

    “Still, when all of these shenanigans still failed to give them the figures they needed, they stopped the announcement of results ward-by-ward, caused a deliberate power outage at the collation centre, with no alternative source of power provided for a long time, and then wrote results in favour of APC and its candidate.

    “Without doubt, what has played out in Ekiti is the APC template for the 2019 General Election, where they have mapped out Rivers and Akwa Ibom as States they must capture at all costs, like they are now trying to do Ekiti.

    “It is now left for the opposition and opposition figures, most especially presidential hopefuls in 2019, to stand up to be counted in the struggle to roll back President Muhammadu Buhari’s creeping fascism, or throw in the towel without a fight.

    “This is not just a sad day for Ekiti but also for democracy in Nigeria. Nothing demonstrates this better than the gloom that has enveloped our dear State since they announced their convoluted result.”

     

  • Saraki congratulates Fayemi

    Senate President, Abubakar Bukola Saraki, yesterday congratulated the Governor-elect of Ekiti State, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, on his victory in the just-concluded Ekiti gubernatorial election.
    Saraki, in a statement signed by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Yusuph Olaniyonu, stated that the Governor-elect of Ekiti State should use his second-coming to continue the people-centered policies and programmes of his first term, while urging him to also work to grow the State’s economy in order to leave behind a sustainable legacy.
    He said the victory was a sign that the people of Ekiti State still have confidence in the former minister’s ability to provide good governance and render efficient service to the state and its people. He also advised the Governor-elect to maintain his focus on how to bring more development to the State and improve the standard of living of the people.
    The Senate President also urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the law enforcement and security agencies, the government and entire electorate to learn some lessons from the Ekiti State gubernatorial election, which has served as a fore-runner to the 2019 General Elections and ensure that all areas of complaints and inadequacies are corrected before a similar election in Osun State and the 2019 general elections.
    “To ensure that the Nigeria people have continued trust and faith in our electoral system, we must continue to work to improve our electoral policies and practices. We must look into the issues that have been identified in this last election to ensure that they are not repeated in the upcoming Osun Gubernatorial election, and during the 2019 elections. Definitely, the 2019 elections must be better in all ramifications than the 2015 polls”, he said.
    Saraki prayed that God will bless and guide the Governor-elect as he prepares to assume Office, and called for a smooth transition between the outgoing government and the incoming one.

  • Edo APC youths deny being in Ekiti for election

    Youths of the All Progressive Congress in Edo State have denied allegations that they were mobilized to Ekiti State to help rig the governorship election won by Dr. Kayode Fayemi.

    Members of the Peoples Democratic Party had alleged that five buses were used to convey those they termed APC thugs to Ekiti State during the election.

    State Youth Leader of the party, Mr. Valentine Asuen, who spoke to newsmen in Bénin City said nobody mobilized APC youths to Ekiti.

    Asuen said the Edo APC were in solidarity with Ekiti APC through prayers and not to be physically present.

    He said it was Ekiti people that delivered victory for Dr. Fayemi.

    According to him, “Our youths are prepared for the 2019 general elections. No APC youths in Edo went to observe the election in Ekiti. What happened is that people in Ekiti delivered Fayemi. We in Edo are prepared for election in Edo and we are winning other South South states.

    Read also: Obasanjo counsels Secondus, PDP on how to defeat Buhari, APC in 2019

    Security forces are not members of the APC. The opposition also had security personnel protecting them. We did not watch any security personnel snatching ballot papers. The security men were there to do their job and maintain law.

    “Ekiti was significant for us as it has shown that 2019 is bright for the APC. It has shown that we are going to win the election. A lot of people that were looking at Ekiti to determine their fate or political future has seen that the APC is still very strong.

    “The rAPC is not a party. Other greedy and political charlatans hijacked genuine demands of the rAPC to bring down our party. They can now see clearly that we are strong. Ekiti has shown them that they cannot defect again. Some of them that were thinking of defection will not show the intention again.”

  • Ekiti 2018: Ambode congratulates Fayemi

    Says victory is sign that APC electoral value has not waned

     

    Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode on Sunday congratulated Dr. Kayode Fayemi the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) who emerged victorious at the keenly contested governorship election held on Saturday in Ekiti

    Fayemi was declared winner of the polls by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), defeating his closest rival, Prof. Kolapo Olusola-Eleka of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) with 197,459 to 178,121 votes.

    Ambode in a statement signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Habib Aruna commended President Muhammadu Buhari, leadership and members of APC and its supporters for the hard-fought victory adding that it was a testament to the fact that the electoral value of the party has not waned.

    Read Also: Ekiti 2018: Gov. Sani-Bello congratulates Fayemi

    The Governor specially praised and congratulated the Governor-elect for his hard fought victory and wished him well as he prepares to take the mantle of leadership of the State for a second time.

    He also urged the Ekiti Governor-Elect to use his second coming to build on its previous achievements and forge ahead with the quest to unite the Yoruba nation, especially through regional integration and economic transformation of the South-West geo-political zone and justify the confidence the Ekiti electorate have reposed on him.

    The Governor also congratulated the Ekiti electorate for comporting themselves peacefully throughout the period of the election, while urging those aggrieved with the result to channel their grievances to the appropriate quarters rather than resort to self-help.

  • I will restore Ekiti values, says Fayemi

    The governor-elect of  Ekiti, Dr Kayode Fayemi, has described his victory in Saturday’s governorship election as one “  for reclaiming the land and restoring Ekiti values.”

    Fayemi spoke on Sunday while addressing the newsmen in Isan-Ekiti  shortly after he was declared the winner of the governorship election.

    He said: ” The victory of this election, I believe, is for   reclaiming   the land and restoring the values of our people.

    “Our values in Ekiti are respect for our leaders, commitment to our people, non brigandage, nor  criminality and so on.

    ” This victory is a victory for all, it is not a victory for only Gov.  Kayode  Fayemi, it is a victory for all the Ekiti people.’’

    Fayemi also described his victory as  significant to  the future of democracy in Nigeria.

    “This was just not an Ekiti election, I want people to understand that this election has a lot of significance  to the future of democracy in Nigeria.

    Read Also: Ekiti 2018: Jubilation as Fayemi emerges winner

    ” The fact that we have witnessed a free, fair and transparent election process  has huge importance for similar exercises  like Osun State next door to  us and eventually the national elections in February 2019,” he said.

    The  governor-elect  thanked all the APC leaders, including President Muhammadu Buhari, National Leader of the APC,  Sen. Bola Tinubu, former governor of  Ogun,  Chief Segun Osoba, former interim Chairman of the party, Chief Bisi Akande,  as well as  party leaders in the state.

    He also thanked his family members, especially his wife, Bisi,  for their support  during the election campaign.

  • Ekiti 2018: You lied on alleged N18 billion poll fund, Fayemi campaign tells Olusola

    The Kayode Fayemi Campaign Organisation has debunked accusation by the Kolapo Olusola Campaign Organization alleging movement of N18b from Akure Airport to Ekiti State for the election of the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate, Dr Kayode Fayemi.

    Olusola’s campaign spokesman, Lere Olayinka, had alleged that the funds were illegally moved from UBA to Ekiti State to fund Fayemi’s election.

    But a statement by Director of Media and Publicity Secretary, Wole Olujobi, scoffed at the suggestion, saying the author of the press release was writing from a “hallucinating imagination” and background of a professional liar.

    “Lere Olayinka has a background of integrity deficiency in information dissemination in strict complement with his boss, Governor Ayodele Fayose.

    “Across the country and the world audience through social media, Olayinka is renowned for his notoriety to concoct falsehoods and present them to readers as facts.

    “Discerning minds will note the lies contained in the story by a single logic that it took Olusola and Olayinka a whole week after the leak of funds movement before they alerted Nigerians about a purported money cargo being offloaded in Akure for Fayemi’s election in Ekiti.

    Read Also: Ekiti 2018: 25 political parties adopt Fayemi

    “By this lie from the pit of hell, we know that PDP is trying to paint a picture that it is a comrade-in-crime with APC after Fayose’s 2014 poll fraud funded with the loot from the office of the National Security Adviser.

    “It is also to argue that APC bought Ekiti people’s votes after Saturday humiliation of Fayose and Olusola who have set Ekiti people back in their thirst for development. Olujobi also faulted Olusola’s claim that policemen assaulted Fayose on Wednesday, explaining that the latest Fayose’s apology to the Police authorities for lying against their officers did not support the claim that police assault the governor.

    “It is great that security details attached to Fayose have confessed that there was no attack on the governor.

    “The security details confessed after they were queried for dereliction of duty in the protection of their principal.

    “Late last night, Fayose sent his aides to the police for forgiveness for lying against their officers.

    “The police spokesman this evening said so, but Olusola is still misinforming Nigerians that the police assaulted Fayose, which then goes to show the quality of his Christian life that he is flaunting to aspire to lead the state.

    “Nigerians are expecting the purported pictures showing funds movement to Ekiti State to fund Fayemi’s election, but we know that the pictures cannot be more than the 11 pictures that Fayose threatened to publish to show that President Muhammadu Buhari was on life support machine in the United Kingdom hospital,” Olujobi explained.

  • Ekiti 2018: Police arrest PDP members over illegal possession of ballot papers

    Four days to the governorship election in Ekiti State, Ekiti State Police Command has nabbed two members of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) who were found in possession of already thumprinted papers in favour of PDP in the Saturday governorship election.

    A statement by Director of Media and Publicity, Kayode Fayemi Campaign Organisation, Mr. Wole Olujobi, identified the two suspects as Ashiru Gbenga and Olaide Olayeye, who were promptly arrested, interrogated and detained.

    They are now helping the police in their investigation.

    Read Also: Ekiti 2018: NYSC DG urges corps members to be neutral

    The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Mr. Caleb Ikechukwu, when contacted by our reporter promised to get back later.

    As about 12 noon on Wednesday, intelligence report indicated that one Vien Foton vehicle marked KTU 477 DG Lagos was parked at Fayose Market along Ajilosun Street, Ado-Ekiti, the state capital.

    Upon information to the police headquarters on the suspicious parking, a team of detectives was deployed to the scene to conduct a search on the vehicle where two leaflets of already thumprinted ballot papers were found in favour of PDP.