PDP’s Fayose is the winner in Ekiti election …APC alleges clampdown on leaders

Former Governor Ayo Fayose of the Peoples Democratic Party has emerged the winner of the yesterday's Ekiti State governorship election as he polled 203,090 of the votes cast, defeating the incumbent Governor Kayode Fayemi of All Progressives Congress who scored 120,433 votes.

The final results announced about 4.15am also showed that  Labour Party’s candidate, Opeyemi Bamidele polled 18,135 votes.

Announcing the results in Ado-Ekiti, the state’s returning officer, Prof. Isaac Azuzu Uzoma, said “having satisfied the law and scored the majority votes, Ayo Fayose of PDP is hereby declared the winner of the election.” Indications that Fayose would win the election emerged early during voting as most of the votes counted showed that he was clearly leading.

The incumbent governor Fayemi, was trailing badly in many of the results earlier released at the various polling units. The three leading candidates in the election, Fayemi, Fayose, and Bamidele, however won at their respective polling units.

However, APC leaders have cried out over an alleged a crackdown on its leaders and journalists during yesterday's election. In a statement yesterday in Lagos by its national publicity secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party said some of its leaders and members had been arrested. It said Mr. Awodolu and 22 others were arrested at Egbe-Ekiti and taken to Ikere-Ekiti, while two leaders were arrested from Ilawe, and 11 others were picked up from Ado-Ekiti.

According to the party, those arrested at Ado Ward A units 1, 6, 8 and 11 include Charles Fashuba, Tolu Ajayi, Elesun, Olu Hero, Gboyega Fabuero, all of whom, it said, were pointed out to the security agents by one Femi Ogunleye, a PDP member.

APC said those arrested were the party's leaders at their wards and local governments, alleging that they were apparently being picked up to prevent them from casting their votes, monitoring the election, and subsequently being present at the collation centres. 'Ekiti has witnessed a massive turnout of voters despite the massive deployment of troops and policemen, ostensibly, to provide security for the election but in reality to intimidate and harass voters to stay away from the polling units.

'Now that the strategy of the PDP-led federal government has failed, despite their over-militarisation of the state, they have unleashed security agents on the leaders of the APC to prevent them from monitoring the collation of results,' APC stated.