AFENIFERE RENEWAL GROUP, UNITED KINGDOM
PRESS RELEASE ON STOLEN MANDATE IN EKITI STATE

 
ARG (UK) joins million of well meaning Nigerians (home and abroad) to condemn the show of shame disguised as Governorship election re-run in Ekiti State. It is obvious that the Nigerian political class in its present state has again fallen short of every electioneering standard known to humanity; it even fell short of the so called ‘Nigerian Standards’.
 
We had members on the ground at Ekiti who witnessed first hand the debacle that was visited on Ekiti state.
 
Starting with the violence that was visited on the Ekiti people (while the law enforcement agents looked the other way) to the several killings, maiming, destruction of properties, unlawful arrest of innocent election observers, etc, etc. We condemn all these acts and in particular the role played by supposed community/political leaders, political office holders of Ekiti extraction and the leadership of the Independent National Election Commission (INEC) as personified by Prof., Maurice Iwu (INEC Chairman) and Chief (Mrs.) Ayoka Adebayo (Ekiti Residence Electoral Commissioner {REC}).
 
Dwelling a little bit more on the inglorious role of the duo of Professor Maurice Iwu and Chief (Mrs) Ayoka Adebayo, we wish to point out that in their haste to rig in the ruling party’s candidate; they have left their bloody prints all over the looted votes of the Ekiti people. History will not look on the duo with favour.
 
Using Ido-Osi Local Government as case study, the total registered voters in Usi ward according to INEC published voters list was 1,902. However, in INEC announced result, the total votes cast for both the AC and PDP candidates was 4,142!
 
Furthermore, in Ifaki 1 ward, not only did the PDP candidate have 100% of the entire vote cast, but again in their haste to rig, they forgot to do their mathematics! The total registered voters in Ifaki 1 according to the published electoral register of INEC were 1,432 from 8 polling units. The actual votes allotted to the PDP candidate was a staggering 3,238! 
 
With these two anomalies alone, it is clear that the election of Oni was marred and cannot stand up to even the modicum of scrutiny and that Dr. Kayode Fayemi, can legitimately lay claim to the people mandate as the duly elected governor of Ekiti state on the basis of valid votes cast and counted.
 
This daylight robbery is unacceptable and the courts must do the right thing when the case is eventually litigated. We would urge that the tribunal nullifies the disputed results in Idi-Osi results rather than ordering another re-run.
 
Mrs. Adebayo – a 74 year old woman has betrayed her own generation and that of her children and grand children. She had made mockery of her self-possessed Christian conscience and values. Professor Maurice Iwu on the other hand continues to be an unrepentant purveyor of fraudulent elections and a deeply biased and compromised public servant who is neither independent nor above board in the dispensing of his duties.  His continued retention in the post by the government of Pres. YarAdua speaks volumes about the ruling party’s deep seated opposition to the conduct of free and fair elections.
 
We see in the Ekiti electoral fraud a foretaste of what the PDP have in store for the nation come 2011, and we call on all Nigerians to stand firm and stand up in defence of their inalienable right to free and fairly elect their leaders. The fight to entrench democracy in Nigeria will be an onerous one, but we take solace in the fact that Nigerians have stood against military dictatorship and won and will equally overcome civilian tyranny and wanton disregard for the sanctity of the people’s wishes.
 
Finally, we call on the Nigerian Police to release all election monitors and observers including innocent Nigerian citizens arrested before, during and after the election or alternatively charged them to court without delay. 
 
We encourage Dr. Fayemi to seek redress in court immediately. The stolen mandate must be returned. We are mindful of the fact that election tribunal are still sitting in Ogun and Osun states two years after the 2007 elections and we hope that the Nigerian Judiciary, which is the last hope of the proverbial common man, would speedily deal with this new Ekiti election petition as justice delayed is justice denied.
 
Long live Ekiti State, Long live Nigeria.
 
Mr. Ayoade Adejumo                                                            Mr. Eric Ayoola
Protem Coordinator                                                               Protem Secretary