Observer groups reject Ekiti election results

                               

A coalition of observer groups and civil society organisations have rejected the outcome of Saturday’s Ekiti State governorship election.

In a statement by spokespersons Comrade Haruna Farouk and Nze Adachi Okoro, they said the exercise did not reflect their findings, promising a full disclosure tomorrow.


“Other incidents that we recorded will be made open in our findings, which will definitely shock Nigerians and expose the conspiracy of INEC, security agents and the APC to keep the people of Ekiti from expressing their constitutional rights,” the statement said.

The Peoples Democratic Part (PDP) yesterday also restated it would not accept the result.

It described the outcome of the poll won by former Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Kayode Fayemi, as a “stolen mandate” and promised in “a matter of time” that it would “use every constitutional means” to reclaim the victory.

The state’s party chairman, Gboyega Oguntuase, while addressing journalists, blamed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and security agencies for the “robbery”.

He said: “This election was far from being free, fair and credible. In Ilejemeje, Ilawe, Ikole, Ise/Orun, Oye, Ado and other major towns in Ekiti, APC thugs aided by security men beat many of our people. As we speak, the results declared by INEC that gave victory to Fayemi were more than the number of accredited voters. So, where did they get the additional votes?”

This was as the Akwa Ibom PDP chapter denied an allegation by the All Progressives Congress (APC) that Governor Udom Emmanuel spent N5billion to boost PDP’s chances in the Ekiti election.

The State publicity secretary, Ini Ememobong, said persons still nursing the pains of losing the 2015 Ekiti election to the then ruling PDP were behind the allegation.

“The APC in Akwa Ibom State has for the past few days exhibited unbridled capacity in concocting falsehood engineered by crass ignorance and mischief.

The claim that Governor Udom Emmanuel donated N5 billion to the Ekiti State government for the prosecution of the just-concluded election is manifestly false and can only be a product of minds seeking political attention from the government and their pay masters,” he said.