Fayose accuses APC of planning to rig July guber election

Ekiti State Governor, Mr Ayodele Fayose, has accused the All
Progressives Congress (APC) of connivance with the Independent
National Electoral Commission (INEC) to rig the July 14 governorship
election in the State by using students of the Federal University, Oye
Ekiti (FUOYE) as INEC ad-hoc staff for the election, instead of youth
corps members.

The governor, who made this known while addressing journalists in Ado
Ekiti, on Friday, described President Muhammadu Buhari comment that
the Ekiti 2014 governorship election was characterized by “hanky
panky”, as unfortunate, saying he was not surprised because the
President was no longer in touch with realities and also not in charge
of his own government.

He said that the Vice Chancellor of FUOYE, Prof Kayode Soremekun, was
a card carrying member of the APC and a close ally of the party’s
candidate, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, accusing him of rigging elections for
the APC in the past.

Governor Fayose said “the idea behind this plot is to recruit APC
members from neighbouring States, arm them with FUOYE students
Identity Cards and use them as INEC Presiding and Returning Officers
to perfect the planned rigging of the election. This will fail.”

The statement read; “Recall that the President said categorically that
Ekiti State must be taken by the APC at all cost. Instead of his
empty boast that his party must capture the State by whatever means,
the President should rather tell Ekiti people what he has done for
them in the last three and half years.

“Today, we are beginning to receive signals to the effect that
clandestine moves are being made to subvert the will of Ekiti people.
With the failure of their “Ondo Option”, other evil means are now
being devised.

“Despite that we have over 9,000 Youth Corps members in Ekiti State
and it has been the general practice to engage the NYSC members in
elections across the country, the APC in collusion with INEC has asked
that students of the Federal University, Oye Ekiti (FUOYE) be
recruited as INEC ad-hoc staff for the election, instead of youth
corps members.

“We are in possession of an Internal Memorandum from the office of the
Dean of Students Affairs, FUOYE seeking registration of students of
the University as INEC Presiding and Returning Officers for the
Election.

“As I speak, over 2,000 supposed FUOYE students have been registered;
with a curious condition that they should provide Bank Account details
of their close relations, apparently to avoid tracing any payment into
their own accounts.

“The question is; with over 9,000 Youth Corps members in Ekiti State,
what is the need for FUOYE students in an election that is holding in
less than 2,200 polling units?

“Our counsel is that parents, guardians and families of FUOYE students
should prevail on their wards to shun this Greek gift and avoid being
used by desperate politicians.

“INEC, too, must come clean on this. The electoral umpire must tell
the public the rationale behind the plot to jettison Youth Corps
members for supposed FUOYE students.

“On President Buhari’s reported comment that the Ekiti 2014
governorship election was characterized by “hanky panky”, I am not
surprised at all because he is no longer in touch with realities. The
president is not even in charge of his own government.

“Therefore, I am not surprised that such a statement came from the
president. That was the same President who said Nigerian youths are
lazy and that Nigerians living abroad are criminals. He can also
afford to indict his own country by saying that agencies of the
federal government were involved in electoral fraud, even when the
United States Government commended them.

“The president runs to the United States of America at all times and
believe in the US government even more than himself. This same US
government said clearly that the election was free, fair and
transparent.

“However, let me tell the President and his men that they will be
disgraced here in Ekiti because the power of the people is greater
than the power of those in power.

“We hereby call on all men of good conscience to stand up and be
counted in the fight against dictatorship, election rigging and the
plot to subvert democracy in Nigeria. 2019 general elections is close
by and Ekiti as well as Osun elections are prelude to what to expect
in 2019.

“The international community must prevail on INEC and the Buhari
administration to allow free, fair and credible election in Ekiti
State.”