Fayose slams INEC, police over Edo, Rivers states elections

Ekiti State governor and chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Governors’ Forum, Mr Ayodele Fayose has slammed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), security agencies, especially the police on their roles in subverting the rights of Nigerians to choose their leaders in free, fair and credible elections.

He said: “While we continue to watch with keen interest, revelations coming from the Edo State Governorship Election Tribunal, the open display of partisanship in the Rivers State rerun elections has made it so obvious that INEC and police have become so shameless in their open display of support for the All Progressives Congress (APC).”

Governor Fayose’s Special Assistant on Public Communications and New Media, Lere Olayinka, quoted the governor as saying in a release issued in Ado Ekiti on Thursday that it was worrisome that INEC and the Police are no longer hiding their alliance with the APC against Nigerians.

He said; “We have seen the police and INEC going back and forth on Rivers State rerun elections and I wish to ask the police; what happened to that suspect, Christian Chukwuemela Ekikeme, who reportedly confessed to the complicity of some APC top-shots in the murder of DSP Mohammed Alkali?

“Shouldn’t the police be more interested in bringing those who allegedly killed its officers to justice?

“Also, what has happened to that Yobe State INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) established to have received N15 million bribe to rig the Yobe State election?”

The governor warned that any attempt to rig the 2018 governorship election in Ekiti State will be resisted by the people, saying; “Here in Ekiti, we are waiting for them. If INEC and its ally, APC like, they can print as many Form EC8A as it can, they will fail.”

He said; “It is sad that snatching of ballot boxes, hijacking of voting materials, electoral violence and most importantly, falsification of election results, which had become a thing of the past have returned to our electoral process. INEC and security agencies, especially the police have merged with the APC and the way they are going, results of elections will one day be announced in Abuja in favour of APC without casting a single ballot.”

Governor Fayose, who called on the international community, especially election observers to pay more attention to the conduct of elections in Nigeria under the APC government, said; “Democracy is in danger in Nigeria! God forbid, if Nigeria is allowed to sink beyond the level that it is now, the entire continent of Africa will not be able to control the consequences.”