Update on the Ekiti Rerun Election: Segun Oni (PDP) declared Winner !

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As the battle for the governorship seat in Ekiti State continues between the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the Action Congress (AC), some thugs and,  politicians, who went from Lagos to participate in the election, were back to base on Sunday, nursing a bloody nose, as they buried three of the casualties of the partisan war.

The Nigerian Compass learnt that the corpse of one of the suspected AC thugs, identified as Baba Sarah, was brought back to Lagos at about 3 a.m on Sunday and buried at 4 p.m later in the day, in his home along the Idimu-Ejigbo Road, near Rolling Stone Hotel.

The slain thug was also identified as a member of the group sent to Ekiti by Egbe-Idimu Local Council Development Area (LCDA) leaders. Five other members of the group were said to have been detained by the police in Ekiti. They include a woman called Iya Poku and two men who both bear the name Tope.

Another was buried in Ikorodu while the third was buried in Gowon Estate, the same day.

There were reports that those mobilised to Ekiti were paid N20,000 each.

The Lagos AC members who narrowly escaped death in Ekiti, after they were allegedly caught in election malpractices, included a council chairman, his deputy, a supervisory councillor and a councillor representing Isheri Ward ‘A’.

Reports say about six persons were killed and many others seriously wounded.

A notorious thug on Lagos Island, who disguised as an observer, escaped death by the whiskers as he was said to have beaten a hasty retreat when he was cornered, shooting and wounding some people in the process.

Efforts to get comments from the council chairman, Wahab Bello, and his deputy, Kunle Sanyaolu, proved abortive.

At the Aso Rock Villa yesterday, President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua summoned a crucial meeting on the Ekiti rerun.

At the talks were Senate President, David Mark, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Dimeji Bankole, the National SecurityAdviser, Sarki Muktar, Police Inspector-General, Mike Okiro and the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Maurice Iwu.

At the meeting which lasted an hour, Iwu was directed to fix a definite date for the rerun in Oye Local Government.

Okiro was also directed to provide adequate security.

Meanwhile, the police said yesterday that all political thugs arrested during the election would be prosecuted in accordance with the Electoral Act.

Police spokesman, Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP), Emmanuel Ojukwu, who commented on the development yesterday, said: “Whoever is arrested will be treated in accordance with the Electoral Act.”

It was gathered that there was serious pressure on the Police Force to release the suspects because most of them are from Lagos.

Iwu, had earlier declared, at a press conference in Abuja yesterday: “It is impossible for the commission to declare the winner of the rerun until election in the remaining two wards in Oye Local Government Area is conducted with result obtained.”

Votes being expected from the remaining two wards, according to Iwu, “are in the neighbourhood of 18,000, going by the number of registered voters.”

Iwu categorically stated that election in the two wards was postponed “because of security situation, safety of the people and in the interest of the future of the country.”

He declared that the new date for the conduct of the election in the remaining two wards would be determined after the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in the state, Mrs Ayoka Adebayo, must have sent in her report on the election to the headquarters in Abuja.

Mrs Adebayo, according to Iwu, is currently ill, having broken down in the course of the rerun election conducted in 61 wards on Saturday.

Iwu pointed out that going by the scores of the candidates in the rerun election; the two leading contenders (Segun Oni of the PDP and Kayode Fayemi of AC) “are running neck to neck”.

His words: “Now, going by the scores of the candidates in the election, the two leading contenders are running neck to neck. The expected votes in the remaining local government area of Oye is in the neighbourhood of 18,000, going by the number of registered voters.

“It is impossible for the REC therefore to declare a winner of the governorship election in Ekiti State without conducting the election in the remaining two registration areas (wards) in Oye Local Government Area and obtaining the result.

“It is indeed sad that an election that ought to have been concluded and a winner announced has, once more, been prolonged, due primarily to the recalcitrant conduct of politicians, who seem determined to bug down the electoral system and process in the country at every turn.

“INEC remains resolute in doing the right thing and seeing the process to its conclusive end”.

The INEC Chairman praised the police for the security arrangement they put in place.

Saying that the early stages of the election on Saturday “started very well, was quite impressive and smooth”, Iwu regretted that later on, “serious security situation set in as politicians and their gangs moved to undermine the process”.

One of the observers, Mr. Timothy Ihemadu, who also spoke at the press conference addressed by Iwu, described the rerun as a “very unique election”.

Ihemadu was, however, not impressed with the security arrangement.

Also, a Director of INEC, Mr. Ademola Johnson, who participated in the conduct of the election, narrated how he and other members of his team escaped from being lynched by thugs “while performing our assignment.”

Also in Abuja, the National Working Committee (NWC) of the PDP has condemned ‘the desperado tactics’ applied by the AC in Ekiti.

The party’s National Publicity Secretary, Prof. Rufai Ahmed Alkali, said: “We have been following the Ekiti State rerun with deep concern. Particularly, we wish to condemn in totality the various acts of violence that AC is unleashing on the peace-loving people of Ekiti State. We had thought that as true democrats, they will heed the call of Mr. President to avoid anything that will disrupt peace and tranquillity in Ekiti State. Unfortunately, in their desperate attempt to win this election at all cost, they have thrown caution to the wind.”

He called on AC members to urgently retrace their steps and provide an enabling environment for the conclusion of the outstanding election in the two wards in Oye Local Government.

“The party wishes to commend INEC and all the security agencies for demonstrating maturity in this rather very difficult task.

“PDP commends all our members and supporters in Ekiti State, who, despite all threats and harassments, have remained resolute in the defence of our cause. We urge them to remain calm and vigilant to ensure that the election in the remaining two wards is conducted peacefully.

“We wish to assure all our people that we are confident Governor Segun Oni will return to the Government House, God willing”, he said.

Also, the South-West chairman of the party, Alhaji Tajudeen Oladipo, insisted that the results in the 61 wards already conducted must be released immediately by INEC.

There was drama in Ado-Ekiti yesterday as PDP supporters trooped to the streets to jubilate their imminent victory. Their AC counterparts also did same.

But, unlike the charged atmosphere on Sunday, the jubilation yesterday was peaceful.

After the jubilation, accusations and counter accusations started with PDP members accusing Adebayo of being used by the AC to scuttle the election.

The party supporters asked what was delaying the release of the results when the election had been conducted and result compiled, collated and handed over to INEC for announcement.

According to the results which INEC gave to party agents, duplicate of which was made available to the Nigerian Compass, Oni is leading with about 5,000 votes after deducting the initial lead of the AC.

The party said it would no longer tolerate the “bare-faced and outright provocation of the AC.” Addressing a press conference at the state party secretariat in Ado Ekiti, the Chaiman of the Media and Publicity of Segun Oni Campaign Organisation, Prince Dayo Adeyeye, said: “We want to state unequivocally that the PDP will no longer tolerate the barefaced and outright provocation of the AC. “We have restrained ourselves thus far, not out of cowardice but our determination to ensure that AC’s plan to destroy the election fails to the end.

“As you all are aware, the rerun ordered by the Appeal Court held peacefully in nine out of the 10 Local Government Areas and I am sure none of you is unaware of the fact that AC never wanted the election to hold. This they made clear at several fora before the election and even before the Appeal Court judgement.

“It is inexplicable and untenable that INEC, which conducted the national election and indeed last Saturday’s elections in 61 wards, will now find it impossible to conduct elections in just two wards.

“It is also worrisome that the police, which maintained peace for election that held in the whole country, will now be handicapped to maintain peace in just two wards of one local government.

“We had envisaged this kind of situation and that explained why we called for the deployment of soldiers to maintain peace in the state during the rerun but the AC blackmailed the presidency into rescinding its position on this. Now, have we not been vindicated?”

Adeyeye insisted that the result must be released by INEC “which will only be a mere formality as the results are already in possession of the public”, declaring that the failure of INEC to declare the existing results and conduct the remaining ones is a call to anarchy.

Adeyeye further accused the AC of allegedly loading several BRT buses with armed thugs from Lagos for the election, threatening to match AC’s force with force if the provocation is not stopped forthwith by the police and other security agencies.

He also called for the immediate arrest and prosecution of former Governors Niyi Adebayo, Ayo Fayose and the AC candidate, Fayemi, accusing them of being the brain behind the dastardly act to set the state on fire with the use of thugs.

“It is common knowledge that results of this election is no longer secret in that following the successful conduct of the polls, the results at the polling unit level were duly recorded in form EC8A, which were later collated into form EC8B at the ward level and form EC8C at the local government level. All these were concluded on the election day (i.e. Saturday, April 25, 2009).

“It is also common knowledge that copies of all forms EC8A, EC8B and EC8C were immediately made available to, and are already in the custody of all party agents, SSS, the Police, observers as well as other stakeholders in the state and beyond.

“It may interest you to know that most cell phones now carry the figures and as such, become public knowledge. It is amusing that the AC is now crying wolf over the 15,939 votes scored by the PDP governorship candidate, Engr. Segun Oni, in his home council representing 33.4 per cent out of the registered voters of 47,587.

“In the April 14, 2007 governorship election, Fayemi, in his ward alone, scored 3,022 votes out of the registered 3,852 voters representing a staggering 78.5 per cent to the 34 scored by the PDP.

“It amounts to double standard and high-level deception that AC wants the world to believe that Oni could not have scored as much as 33.4 per cent of the votes in the election held last Saturday in his council when Fayemi polled 78.5 per cent in just his ward in 2007 and the party did not raise a dust. “We therefore call on INEC to release the result without further delay, pending the rerun in Oye local government and also call on INEC to conduct the remaining election in Oye with maximum security to forestall a repeat of last Saturday’s experience which saw AC thugs imported from all parts of the country to scare away PDP voters”, Adeyeye stated.

Also, the state chapter of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), worried by the foot dragging of INEC to declare the result in the remaining four council areas and winner in the rerun, called for caution on the part of the electoral body in order not to set the state on fire.

Rising from its emergency State Administrative Council (SAC) meeting held in Ado-Ekiti yesterday, the Congress expressed displeasure that an election conducted since three days ago has not been declared by the electoral umpire, thereby giving room for crisis in the state.

In a communiqué signed by the state Chairman and Secretary of the NLC, Comrade Joseph Arogundade and Mrs B. Alafiatayo, the Congress stated that the attendant crisis which followed the delay in announcing the result is also a great concern to the SAC.

The union pleaded with INEC to be careful and not set the state on fire through its foot-dragging on the announcement.

“We hereby implore the INEC to release the result of the governorship rerun as demonstrated by the electorates in Ekiti State at the polls on Saturday, April 25, 2009 without further delay and declare the winner to forestall further crisis’.

The Acting Governor, Olatunji Odeyemi, also appealed to the people to remain calm and law-abiding, pending the conclusion of the result.

Odeyemi, while pointing out that Ekiti State was not the only state where rerun had been conducted, called on the people to await further directive from INEC.

Representatives of AC in Rivers and Bayelsa states who monitored the election also called on INEC to announce the remaining results “without further delay.”

Secretary of the group from the two South-South states, Mr Miriki Ebikibina, stated in a statement that “the tactical delay in announcing the result of the election that is 99 per cent concluded is a clear indication that not only the INEC is ineffective but determined to set the state on fire.”

Ekiti State AC supporters also trooped to the street in a peaceful protest, calling on INEC to declare Fayemi the winner. Led by the state chairman, Mr Jide Awe, they walked from the popular Fajuyi Park Road through Okeyinmi and ended at the party secretariat on Ado-Ikere road.

The development forced many civil servants and traders to hurriedly close their offices and shops.

Awe said the protest was necessitated by INEC’s delay to announce the remaining results.

Also speaking in Ado-Ekiti yesterday, Fayemi urged INEC to declare him the winner, having fulfilled the required 25 per cent of the two thirds of the local governments.

Speaking with journalists at his Isan-Ekiti private residence, Fayemi said judging by the results collated so far and his outstanding from the Appeal Court ruling, he should be declared the winner without further delay.

He noted that the Electoral Act stipulated that a winner of the governorship election must win 25 per cent of two thirds of the local governments in a state, a condition he said he had fulfilled convincingly.

He maintained that going by the result from the 11 local governments now on ground, “as far as we are concerned, a winner has emerged in accordance with the Electoral Act 2006.

“The election is no longer about Fayemi becoming governor anymore but fulfilling the wishes of the people.”