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THE NATION

May 7, 2009

Fayemi vows to fight on as Oni takes the oath
By Adewale Adeoye

AFTER the initial shock, the Ekiti State Action Congress (AC) began yesterday the painful task of evaluating the rerun governorship poll.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate Segun Oni winner of the controversial poll.

AC described the result as a "travesty of justice".

The party, at a crowded press conference addressed by State Chairman Jide Awe and candidate Dr Kayode Fayemi at its secretariat on Ajilosun Street, Ado-Ekiti, the Ekiti State capital, said it rejected the results and would take legal action to reclaim its "stolen mandate".

A few kilometers away at the Government House, Oni was taking the oath of office.

The AC said the result given to PDP from Ido-Osi was wrong and contrary to the voting pattern in the rerun that took place in 63 wards spread across 10 local governments. It also cited the fact that the collation officer who conducted the election in Ido-Osi was not the one the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) asked to announce the result. The collation officer that announced the Ido-Osi result on Tuesday was unknown to Ekiti people because he was not the one that conducted the election on April 25, AC said.

AC also said it would begin mass actions to pull down what it called "the wall of tyranny". The party said the result of the Ido-Osi Local Government Area was hijacked by some hoodlums – an action trailed by violence and death of at least a member of the AC. The total figure announced was strange to the collation officers that conducted the election, the party said.

Fayemi said: "The greater majority of Ekiti people reject the travesty of justice. We reject the result of the election in Ido-Osi which gave the PDP over 15,000 votes. We reject the declaration of Oni as the winner of the election. We will do everything within the law to reclaim our mandate given to us by the people of Ekiti State. The collation officer that conducted the election was not the one that announced the result yesterday. None of the AC agents signed the result of Ido-Osi. They could not have signed it because they were all driven away from Ifaki-Ekiti."

He went on: "We will use all legal and legitimate means to fight. We are not tired. It is about the struggle for the soul of a nation. It is the shame of a nation. This struggle may as well be the end of democracy in Nigeria, if we are not careful. These people will never change their spot of irresponsibility. They are determined to drag the nation down."

He said the action of the REC, Mrs Ayoka Adebayo, demonstrated her lack of integrity and also showed that democracy is heading for a shipwreck. "It shows that democracy is heading for a crossroad. The action of Mrs Adebayo showed she did not follow her conscience and did not follow her God," Fayemi said.

He said: "A movement has started in Ekiti today. It is not about Ekiti people alone; it is about all lovers of freedom and human integrity all over the world. I was on BBC and CNN this morning. Everybody in the international community is interested. The action of Mrs Adebayo and the federal authority shocked the world. We have started a movement. This show of force will not stop us; it will not deter us."

Commending Ekiti people for "their courage and determination in this dark era of our battle for freedom", Fayemi said even though INEC did not declare him winner of the election, the struggle had been won, albeit partially.

"It is not about Kayode Fayemi. It is not about AC alone; it is about the future of our people; the children, women and the artisans, whose future hangs in the balance. It is about a people that cannot afford to feed, about a people whose future is trampled under foot by the few, and about a nation that does not allow the people to choose their leaders based on their own free will," Fayemi said.

He went on: "We have won the struggle in many ways. We have exposed to the whole world beyond any iota of doubt, the electoral fraud. We have shown to the world that the middle name of Prof Maurice Iwu is fraud. We owe Nigerians a duty to make electoral reform real. We will dedicate ourselves to ensuring the liberation of Ekiti people. We will liberate ourselves in a non-violent manner. If justice is not given to us, using legal means, we will make Ekiti ungovernable for the usurpers."

Fayemi said his party was not responsible for the earlier resignation of Mrs Adebayo and that her U-turn was an embarrassment to the local and international community. "We did not ask Mrs Adebayo to resign. She did on her own volition. She confessed to other RECs that she actually wrote the letter and had wanted to resign. Her decision to announce the PDP as the winner of the election shows she has no integrity," said Fayemi.

Awe thanked the people for their support, saying they should not give up on the AC’s determination to bail the state out of its political logjam.

Awe said: "Last week, the whole world stood by Mrs Adebayo that she would announce the result based on her conscience and God. Her earlier pronouncement made the whole world to stand by her. At the end, she spoke from two sides of her mouth. She has sown a bitter seed; she will reap the fruits." The crowd of party supporters chorused: "Aaaaaameeeen!"

Awe said on Monday when Mrs Adebayo returned from her short absence, he led a delegation of AC leaders with the hope of welcoming her but she was not in the office. He said he left a letter of protest, notifying her that the AC would not accept the result of Ido-Osi on legal grounds, but that Monday evening, the AC received a suspicious letter fixing Oye’s election for the following day, without a word on the earlier results from the four local governments, especially the one from Ido-Osi.

"The normal thing for her was to cancel Ido-Osi. None of AC’s agents signed the result from Ido-Osi which was marred by violence. Two AC members were shot. One of them is now amputated. This is fraud. Iwu made us to realise that 18,000 voters were registered at Oye, but the total number of votes for the two parties was less than 2,500. We shattered the illusion of Senator Arise that he would produce 15,000 from the fake 18,000 voters in Oye. This is why Ido-Osi was brought in by Mrs Adebayo to give the PDP a lead at all costs. She had succumbed to the pressure being mounted by the Vice President, Goodluck Jonathan, INEC and the Presidency. This is ridiculous," Awe said.

Other party leaders at the briefing were the former Ekiti State governor, Otunba Niyi Adebayo, former Ondo State governor, Chief Bamidele Olumilua, Chief John Abejide, AC state treasurer and Chief Akin Fasae.

After the press conference, Fayemi – his wife Bisi beside him – addressed a mammoth crowd of party faithful that gathered at the secretariat.

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THE NATION

May 6, 2009
 

Fayemi leads protest against Oni’s “election”

Action Congress (AC) governorship candidate in Ekiti State, Dr  Kayode Fayemi today led thousands of his supporters to protest the declaration of his rival, Engr. Olusegun Oni as winner of the Ekiti State governorship re-run election.

The protesters marched through the street of Ado-Ekiti, condemning the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for awarding the election to Oni.

They carried placards, some of which read: “Kayode Fayemi is our governor”, “INEC should have declared Feyemi not Oni winner of the election”, “We say no to injustice”.

In a statement, the AC described Oni’s victory as a “victory for impurity”.

Its National Publicity Secretary, Lai Mohammed said the so called victory was “a culmination of acts of deceit and failure of leadership by President Umaru Yar’Adua’, the continuous and brazen thwart of the people’s will by the Maurice Iwu led INEC and a clear indication that the Nigeria Police Force has indeed metamorphosed into the PDP Police Force.
 
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