Thursday, 19 June 2014
Ekiti 2014: Obanikoro’s presence in Akure should be probed – Oyegun urges FG
There are plans to rig Saturday’s governorship election in Ekiti
State, the All Progressives Congress (APC) alleged yesterday.
APC Chairman John Odigie-Oyegun petitioned President
Goodluck Jonathan, saying the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)
wants to win at all cost.
Odigie-Oyegun said the President should ask the Minister of
State for Defence, Senator Musiliu Obanikoro why he was at the
Akure Airport on Tuesday when two planes with undisclosed
cargo landed.
He also fingered the Minister of Police Affairs, Jelili Adesiyan,
as leading the PDP “war” troops in Ekiti State in alleged breach
of their oath of office.
Oyegun raised the alarm in a letter to the President which he
read openly at the inauguration of the new 48-man National
Executive Committee of the APC in Sheraton Hotel in Abuja.
The chairman said: “My first message today is to President
Goodluck Jonathan regarding a series of occurrences that point
to the fact that the PDP is bent on rigging the elections and
writing the results of the Saturday elections in Ekiti even before
the polls open.
“If this dangerous trend is not arrested, the consequences will
be dire for democracy and our country.
“The All Progressives Congress, APC will not accept the
outcome of the election in Ekiti unless the authorities provide
convincing explanations to the series of questionable
developments in recent times.
“Less than 72 hours to the governorship election in Ekiti, there
are ominous signs that the PDP-led government is bent on
influencing the outcome of the election come Saturday June 21.
These series of developments and events are undeniable
pointers to a desperate plot to rig the elections at all cost.”
He gave the details of some developments in the state which
have pointed to a rigging plot by the PDP.
Odigie-Oyegun said: “In the last few days, many developments
have occurred that have exposed the covert and criminal effort
to subvert the rights of the citizens of Ekiti and the country’s
electoral law.
“Barely two Sundays ago, our supporters during a peaceful
procession in Ekiti were tear-gassed and in fact one was killed.
The elected governor of the state, Dr. Fayemi, was also tear-
gassed and barely escaped being shot.
“Yet, instead of quickly prosecuting the police officers
involved in this crisis, the police authorities simply went ahead
in the most bizarre turn of events and charged a Commissioner
and 11 others from Ekiti State with acts of terrorism a few days
to the election. Meanwhile, the policeman that shot the APC
member walks the street free.
“Again, only last week, a truck was intercepted with over 200
boxes of electoral materials by the security agents. INEC
quickly claimed it was wasted materials, whereas the story of
the driver contradicted that of INEC. To date, Nigerians are yet
to be provided with full information about the culprits behind
these suspicious materials.”
The APC National Chairman, who relocated to Ekiti State
yesterday, insisted that the roles of Obanikoro and Adesiyan
pointed to official collusion.
He added: “On Tuesday, June 17, 2014, two loaded aircraft
landed at the Akure Airport with undisclosed content. The
presence of the Minister of State, Defence, Musiliu Obanikoro
who was on ground to ensure the safe delivery of the cargoes
suggests official collusion and knowledge.
“The contents were immediately loaded into a bullion van under
the watchful eyes of the Minister of State, Defence, Obanikoro.
“Again on Wednesday, June 18, a pro-Fayose and PDP gang
was busted in a resort owned by Fayose’s campaign manager
thumb printing ballot papers ahead of the Saturday elections.
The 22 young men who were arrested were also caught
preparing INEC Form EC8.
“Mr. President, there is clear intent and deliberate ploy to
subvert the elections. The APC at this point has little or no faith
in the often-touted promises and commitment of this
administration to a free and fear election in Ekiti.
“Having earlier declared the Ekiti election as “WAR”, the PDP
is now living true to that promise with the Ministers of State,
Defence and Police Affairs leading the troops.
“Pray, what business does the Minister of State, Defence,
Obanikoro have supervising the offloading of mysterious cargo
in Akure while the Northeast is still being ravaged by Boko
Haram and over 200 girls remain missing and unaccounted
for?”
Odigie-Oyegun asked the President to be aware of the danger of
rigging election in the past republics.
He said: “We warn Mr. President, that election rigging in a
particular part of the country in the past has always had serious
consequences for the government in power and the country as a
whole.
“As it happened in the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Republics. The APC will
not fold its arms and watch the electoral process being brazenly
subverted.
“Our party will not accept any result from Ekiti that does not
flow from a transparent election. We are not asking for any
favours. We only demand a free and fair election.
“For our friends in the international community, there is no
better time to speak up against these tendencies and ominous
signs.
“They need no further pointers to know that some people are
desperate. The greatest danger is that we do not know how many
other places the thumb printing of ballot papers are taking place
in and around Ekiti.
“The APC commends our security agencies for their alertness in
this instance and urge them to be always professional and
thorough.”
Earlier in his address, Odigie-Oyegun pledged to make APC the
fastest growing party not only in Nigeria but in the world.
He added: “First, I want to give you reassurance on behalf of the
new NEC that we are going to work, toil night and day to fulfill
the promise of APC as the most acceptable party in Nigeria. We
are going to make it the fastest growing party in Nigeria and in
the world.
“I have always been associated with being first. I was the first
Executive Governor of Edo State, I have now also become the
first National Chairman of APC and we are going to be the first
party to throw out a government in Nigeria. It is not going to be
business-as-usual
“For the other party, achieving power is their ultimate
objective, but for APC the welfare and the happiness of the
people is our ultimate objective. It is for this reason we are
seeking power.
“You have a party that is thinking, aggressive and that is going
to make up for the people of this country who have been
shortchanged. Let the people know that we mean business. I
want to plead with you that people must know us today by our
action; we must be different.
“In February 2015, by God’s grace, we will take over the
Federal Government of Nigeria. It is not going to be business-
as-usual.
“We are going to aggressively attack corruption by government.
We are going to empower. This is the message we are taking to
the people: We are going to aggressively attack corruption. It is
at the bottom of all the ills in the nation. It is the reason our
children don’t have jobs; it is the reason our factories are
folding up; it is the reason basically that this country has not
been able to make progress because the people have become so
consumed by the need to grow from millionaire to billionaire,
and the need to grow from billionaire to multi-billionaire. They
are not even talking of Naira they now count in dollars. That’s
money of the people of this country. This money can be used to
change and better the cause of their lives.
“The government that APC will empower, that the people of this
country will vote in will meaningfully address the issue of
power. Without power there is no economy. We are wasting
time. The office of the National Bureau of Statistics, the
Ministry of Finance announced wounded figures.
“We have even been upgraded to the largest economy in Africa.
They stopped at Africa they didn’t say the rest of the world. But
how does that translate into bringing hope to the lives of the
people.”
Odigie-Oyegun promised an open door policy in running the
affairs of the party, saying repeatedly. “I am going to be a 24-
hour National Chairman. If there is any internal problem, my
ears are for you 24 hours.”
He urged APC members to explore internal party mechanism to
resolve issues instead of rushing to the press and the court
He said: “We must let people start believing us; we will do our
best to address issues within the party. So, instead of rushing to
the press or the court on any issue, allow the party to sort things
out.
“The National Convention was a very big plus; let us not allow
things to degenerate. We are redeemers; we are people who
Nigerians can depend on to save and salvage the situation.”
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