AS the Ekiti State governorship election petition tribunal hearing the matter brought by Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate in the July 2018 governorship election delivers judgement today, the police in the state have warned against illegal processions, rallies or protests.
The Ekiti State Police Commissioner, Mr Asuquo Amba, who gave the warning while addressing journalists in Ado Ekiti, on Sunday, said the command’s “Operation make Ekiti Safe Squad” has been mobilised and was on the ground to tame any unlawful assembly.
Amba warned politicians and people of the state against illegal protests or gatherings that could incite the people as tribunal delivers judgement on the governorship petition filed by the PDP and its candidate in the election, Professor Kolapo Olubunmi Olusola.
The CP, who spoke through the command’s spokesperson, Mr Caleb Ikechukwu, said: “the command won’t fold its arms and allow anyone to destabilise the state under the guise of protest over the outcome of the judgment.”
Amba, said: “This squad is a Joint Task Force comprising the police and other sister agencies with about 150 men. They spread all over the state and being overseen by the police. So, they are on the ground to stop any unlawful assembly or stop any protest that could result in violence.
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“Though people are ready to hold peaceful protest but no one has written to us now to say that he would stage any protest over the judgement.
“Even if any group would stage a protest, it won’t be one that will cause riotous assembly or that can be hijacked by hoodlums.
“Again, whoever loses still has the option of appeal, so violence is not the best option, for it won’t be tolerated.
“On our part, we are ready and we assure our people that no cause for alarm.”
Meanwhile, the PDP has expressed confidence that it would be victorious in today’s judgement considering the avalanche of veracious evidence presented at the tribunal.
Speaking through its State Publicity Secretary, Jackson Adebayo, the party stated that “our expectation is very high and we knew that we presented our case very well.
“We were able to substantiate our claims on vote buying, falsification of results, alteration by INEC and ballot snatching with witnesses that gave truthful evidence in court.
“The fact that Fayemi only presented four witnesses out of over 1,000 listed in his reply showed that it was as good as PDP had won ab initio.
“To us in PDP, we are hopeful that we shall be victorious,” he said.
But the Director-General, Kayode Fayemi Campaign Council, Hon Opeyemi Bamidele, said the election remained one the fairest and freest elections ever conducted by INEC.
Bamidele described the allegations raised by the PDP in its petition as frivolous and spurious, saying the people freely gave Fayemi the mandate to govern the state.
” We are sure of victory today. APC won the election fair and square. We even within areas known to the PDP’s stronghold, so we have no reason to fear over the judgement,” Bamidele said.
Prof Olusola, who flew the PDP flag in the July 14, 2018 election, was contesting the declaration of Governor Kayode Fayemi of the All Progressives Congress (APC), as the validly elected governor, and had asked the tribunal to declare him the winner of the election.
Kolapo had scored a total of 178,223 votes as against Fayemi’s 197,459 votes in the election, and had alleged various illegalities in the election, including vote buying, alteration of results, falsification of results; balloting-snatching in the election.
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