By Banji Ayoola
Governor-elect of Ekiti State, Dr John Olukayode Fayemi, has presented his certificate of return to President Muhammadu Buhari.
The former Minister of Mines and Steel Development and the candidate of the national ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, which the President leads, in Saturday’s election, presented the document on Thursday at a brief ceremony in Abuja.
The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, had on Wednesday in Ado Ekiti, the Ekiti State capital, issued him the certificate following his victory at the July 14 governorship election, having defeated, his closest rival, and candidate of the Peoples’ Democratic Party, PDP, who is also the incumbent Deputy Governor of the state, Prof Kolapo Olusola.
Expectedly, he would take over from the incumbent Governor Peter Ayodele Fayose, also of the PDP, on October 16, 2018, when the latter’s four-year tenure expires.
Meanwhile, the PDP has accused the electoral body of rigging the election in favour of the APC candidate, saying that it is in possession of incontrovertible facts to support its position.
But INEC has dismissed the allegation of manipulation though it felt disturbed by the crime of votes buying perpetrated openly and unashamedly by politicians and both political parties in Saturday’s poll.
Insisting that the electoral body allegedly colluded in rigging the election for the APC, the PDP said on Wednesday that the party’s National leadership, which met in Abuja on Tuesday, has “facts” on how the last Saturday’s governorship election was allegedly rigged in Ekiti State.
At the meeting, the party’s National Working Committee, NWC, had received and reviewed “all facts relating to the July 14, 2018 Ekiti state governorship election.”
Specifically, it said that after the NWC members reviewed what was brought before them, they came into a conclusion that the electoral body allegedly rigged the election in favour of the rival APC.
The commission had on Sunday morning, declared the APC candidate, Fayemi, as winner of the election.
But the candidate of the PDP, Prof Kolapo Olusola and the former ruling party insisted that the votes were doctored in favour of Fayemi.
In a statement in Abuja on Wednesday, the party through its National Publicity Secretary, Mr Kola Ologbondiyan, also accused the commission of pulling down the results of the election from its website.
According to the statement: “After a thorough examination of all hard facts, the NWC reconfirms that the Independent National Electoral Commission doctored the result of the election to favour the APC.
“The NWC notes that apart from the huge discrepancies between the actual votes cast at the polling centres and the results released by INEC, there is evidence that INEC pulled down the original result from its database to accommodate the alterations.
“The NWC also has evidence indicating that the original result was in favour of the PDP candidate, Prof. Kolapo Olusola before the figures were altered.
“The NWC, after very exhaustive examination of all facts, confirms the PDP candidate, Prof. Kolapo Olusola, clearly won the July 14, 2018 governorship election.”
It called on INEC to correct the perceived error in the results it announced, warning that if this was not done, the defeated party and its candidate would seek redress at an election petition tribunal.
The party said: “The NWC, therefore, calls on the leadership of INEC to immediately correct their results, apologise to the people of Ekiti State and be ready to admit their falsifications before the tribunal so as to return our mandate which was stolen at ‘gunpoint’ on July 14.”
INEC denies allegation
But INEC Director, Publicity and Voter Education, Mr Oluwole Osaze-Uzzi, denied the allegations that INEC had altered the result posted on its website, saying: “We did not change results posted on our website. You can go and check for yourself.”
Besides, INEC on Wednesday stated that manipulation did not occur but that its headache was vote-buying.
It condemned the open buying of votes by politicians in the election in a communiqué issued after its meeting with Resident Electoral Commissioners from all the states and the Federal Capital Territory.
The communiqué, which was signed by the National Commissioner and Member, Information and Voter Education Committee, Mohammed Haruna, said: “The Commission reviewed the conduct of the July 14 governorship election in Ekiti State and preparations for the September 22, 2018 Osun governorship election.
“It noted the satisfactory conduct of the Ekiti governorship election as attested to by both domestic and international observers, the media and other stakeholders.
“The meeting also noted with deep concern, the rising phenomenon of vote-buying during elections and restated its commitment and determination to continue to work with all stakeholders, especially the security agencies, to stem the ugly trend,” it read.
We are ready to meet PDP at tribunal – APC
In its reaction, the APC said it was prepared to meet the PDP at the election tribunal to defend the mandate freely given to it by Ekiti people.
It spoke through its National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, in response to claims by the PDP that it had evidence to prove that it won the election.
It said, “If they (PDP) have any evidence, they should just go ahead and take it to the tribunal.
“We are confident that the results of the election reflect the collective wishes of the Ekiti people. The PDP should show respect to the people and accept the result.
“It does appear that the PDP is driven by a sense of entitlement that is not compatible with democracy.”
ADP rejects results
The Action Democratic Party, ADP, also rejected the outcome of the governorship election and demanded its nullification on account of alleged glaring irregularities.
National Chairman of the party, Mr Sani Yabagi, announced the party’s position in a statement he signed in Abuja, on Wednesday.
He said, “Regrettably, in spite of all the assurances that the processes would be free and fair, in conformity with globally accepted democratic standards, the election was anything far from this, as several issues which marred the election included ballot box snatching and, meddlesomeness by security agents.”
I will not disappoint Ekiti people, Fayemi promises
INEC National Commissioner in charge of Oyo, Ekiti and Osun states, Prince Adedeji Soyebi, had presented the certificate to Fayemi at a ceremony held at the state’s INEC office in Ado-Ekiti, the state capital.
Fayemi of the All Progressives Congress won the Saturday’s governorship election by defeating the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Prof. Kolapo Olusola.
The Deputy Governor-elect, Otunba Bisi Egbeyemi, also received his Certificate of Return at the event.
Speaking after receiving the certificate, Fayemi thanked the people for their support before and during the July 14 governorship election and promised not to disappoint the people of the state who gave him the mandate.
He commended the electoral body for doing an “excellent job” in the conduct of the “seamless, free, fair, credible and violence-free,” election.
He said: “For INEC, the work has just ended and for us, the work has just started. We have a responsibility not to disappoint our people.
“We have a duty of responsibility not to disappoint the people for keeping faith with us. Ekiti people will see the benefit of good governance by the grace of God as from October 16,” he said.
The Resident Electoral Commissioner, Prof Abdulganiyu Raji, said he was happy that the election took place despite the tension in town.
