The Ekiti State chapter
of the All Progressives
Congress, APC, has
dispatched a petition to
the International
Criminal Court, the
United States
government, the
National Human Rights
Commission, and other
foreign authorities,
complaining about
series of violence
allegedly sponsored by
the state government
against its members in
the build up to the
general elections.
The party specifically
requested the Nigerian
Human Rights
Commission to
investigate the role of
the state governor, Ayo
Fayose, in the violence,
which it said includes
the physical attack and
intimidation of
opposition
personalities.


The petition, dated
February 16, was
signed by the APC
Secretary in the state,
Omotosho Ayodele.
Copies of the petition
with accompanying
photographs,
newspapers clips and
tape were sent to the
European Commission,
United States Embassy
in Nigeria, British High
Commission, French
Embassy, the US
Secretary of States and
the International
Criminal Court at The
Hague.
It was also sent to the
Nigerian Bar
Association, a former
Secretary to the
Commonwealth of
Nations, Emeka
Anyaoku,a former
United Nations
Secretary General, Kofi
Annan, the Yoruba
Council of Elders and
Egbe Igbimo Ure Ekiti.


Mr. Fayose of the
Peoples Democratic Party, PDP,
defeated the APC’s Kayode Fayemi
in the now controversial June 21,
2014 governorship election in the
state. He assumed office on
October 16.
In the petition presented to the
NHRC on Friday, the APC invited
the Commission to take note of and
investigate the acts of Mr. Fayose
and his supporters with a view to
determining if they constitute
conduct promoting election
violence.


Among the 22 acts of the governor
listed by the opposition include the
governor’s alleged outburst during
one of his campaigns in Emure
local government area where he
reportedly said “We are in power!
I am not one of those who have
power and don’t know how to use
it. PDP will not lose any seat in this
state. It is going to be a do-or-die
affair or a zero sum game”.


It also said that on January 21, Mr.
Fayose’s “thugs” and members of
the Odua Peoples Congress, dressed
in army and police uniforms,
backed by police officers attached
to the Government House,
ransacked and vandalized APC
secretariat on Ajilosun Street, Ado-
Ekiti.
It said Alaba Ojo and Adedokun
Dare, the night guards on duty at
the secretariat at the time of the
incident, were physically assaulted
and sustained varying degrees of
injuries and that the thugs had
earlier visited several parts of the
state shooting and destroying the
posters of opposition candidates.


The APC also alleged that on
January 24, one Adeleke Samson, a
students’ union leader, who
attended its presidential rally in
Ado- Ekiti with his colleagues, was
violently attacked by the
governor’s thugs, during which he
sustained life-threatening injuries
on his head.


The party also said on January 20,
Ojo Agboola, Femi Babalola,
Babalola, Bello Idowu and Tope
Oguntoyinbo were physically
assaulted by Mr. Fayose’s thugs at
various locations in Ado-Ekiti for
either wearing APC T-Shirts and
pasting APC posters in their houses.
It also alleged that on January 21,
in Otun Ekiti, Moba Local
Government Area, Olasehinde
Atolani and Atolani Segun were
physically assaulted for pasting of
APC posters on the walls of their
houses.


The governor’s thug, the party
further said, on January 23, 2015,
disrupted its ward meetings in Iyin
and Igede- Ekiti.
It said the thugs had previously
conducted a house to house raid
and assault on APC members,
adding “specifically, the thugs
attempted the life of the APC
senatorial candidate for Ekiti
Central Senatorial District, Mr.
Gbenga Olofin, who narrowly
escaped.”


The APC said on January 30, Mr.
Fayose, in the bid to make good his
earlier threat to collect the
monetised Camry cars from
members of the immediate past
state executive council
(Commissioners and Special
Advisers), sent policemen, soldiers
and thugs to ransack the residences
of former Commissioners in the
state.


It listed those affected as Biodun,
Akin-Fasae, Oluwole Ariyo, Ayodele
Jinadu and Adebayo Orire, The
party said the aim was to harass
them out of circulation ahead of
the general elections so that they
would not be able to participate.


The party further alleged that on
January 30, 2015, Mr. Fayose’s
thugs, unleashed terror on the
people of Esure Ekiti, as his thugs
shot sporadically in the air,
vandalized homes and shops of
APC members, including that of
Caroline Egunlusi while on
February 2, 2015, the governor also
led thugs to destroy billboards and
tear posters of opposition APC in
Ikole Ekiti.
The APC stated that 10 days later
the PDP thugs disrupted the APC
ward meetings in Igbemo Ekiti.


According to the party, the thugs
shot at the houses of APC Ekiti
State Publicity Secretary, Taiwo
Olatunbosun, and that of the House
of Assembly member representing
that constituency but seeking re-
election, Ayodeji Odu while one
Ajayi Temisoro was dealt machete
cuts on the head and hand.


The thugs subsequently abducted
four persons,namely Jide Bello,
Jimi Ogunade, Peter Akinsola (alias
Pitoro) and Adedeji Ojo.
“It is for these reasons that we
urge the National Human Rights
Commission to investigate these
cases of pre-election violence in
Ekiti State and publish its
preliminary findings before the
presidential elections on March 28,
2015,” the APC said.


The party also called on the
Commission “to declare Mr. Fayose
as a person of interest in its
investigation of election violence in
Nigeria,” adding “We want to
emphasise that these interim
measures are necessary to prevent
loss of lives and further destruction
of property in Ekiti State.”

It asked the NHRC to also
investigate the conduct of security
agencies in Ekiti State with a view
to determining their
professionalism, even- handedness
and non- partisanship.


“More worrisome is our finding
that Police officers are actively
involved in committing these acts
of violence,” it said.
“It is a matter of concern to us that
despite reporting these incidents to
the Police, few arrests and virtually
no prosecution have been
undertaken.


The APC stated that it had
expressed concern that several of
the policemen who formed the
nucleus of what was severally
described as Fayose’s killer squad
in Ekiti State between 2003 and
2006 when he was first elected the
governor, are back in his employ.



http://www.premiumtimesng.com/regional/ssouth-west/177252-ekiti-apc-petitions-human-rights-commission-icc-over-alleged-state-sponsored-violence.html

Fayose must be called to order.

No body has the monopoly of violence.

We know him very well,he will soon be called to order.