Ekiti State Governor, Mr Ayodele Fayose has said that the Peoples
Democratic Party (PDP) and its candidate in the Edo State governorship
election, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu contested against the Independent
National Electoral Commission (INEC), not the All Progressives
Congress (APC), describing the APC victory in the election as “victory
only made possible by the use of federal government agencies to
subvert the will of the people.”
Governor Fayose, who lamented that the win at all cost attitude of the
APC was inimical to the sustenance of democracy in the country, said
it was sad that instead of the people of Edo State electing their own
governor, the APC conspired with INEC to foist its own governor on the
people.
Speaking on the outcome of the election through his Special Assistant
on Public Communications and New Media, Lere Olayinka, Governor Fayose
said it was unfortunate that those whose change was made possible
because the then PDP government allowed the people the freedom to make
a choice have now eroded the independence of INEC.
Governor Fayose said; “the stage for the manipulation of the election
was set by the use of security agencies to postpone the election, even
when there was no single security threat and what was witnessed in Edo
State last Wednesday was the execution of the rigging plans perfected
after the postponement.”
He said it should be obvious to all lovers of democracy in Nigeria and
the international community that the APC led federal government will
never allow free and fair election in the country as the PDP and other
opposition parties now contest elections against INEC.
He noted that; “the power of the people to choose their governor was
completely robbed at gunpoint in Edo State. Unfortunately too, these
elements have even murdered the rights of Nigerians to protest against
the subversion of their will and it is now obvious that only the
insistence of Nigerians can save democracy in the country.
“Like I have said before, we are already seeing signs of what to come
in 2019 and Nigerians should know by now that it will only take their
insistence for their votes to count as long as these APC elements
remain in power.”