Ekiti 2018 Guber poll: INEC must be fair, transparent – Fayose

Ekiti 2018 Guber poll: INEC must be fair, transparent – Fayose

Ekiti State Governor, Mr Ayodele Fayose has reacted to the release of

timetable for the State's 2018 governorship election by the

Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), calling on the

electoral umpire to conduct free, fair and credible poll that will be

commended by the international community just as the June 21, 2014

election was hailed by the government of the United States of America.

The governor, who said he needed no help from INEC or any agency of

the government for the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)

to win the election, urged INEC and federal government agencies not to

provide help for other contestants.
Governor Fayose's Special Assistant on Public Communications and New

Media, Lere Olayinka, quoted him as “calling on the international

community as well as local election observers to from now, take very

strong interest in the Ekiti 2018 governorship election and monitor

INEC as it begins the processes leading to the conduct of the

election.”
He said; “Concerning this election and others, INEC should be

honourable by ensuring free, fair and credible elections. This is

considering the fact that Ekiti is a State controlled by the

opposition and I am the number one opposition figure in Nigeria today.

“INEC should take note that we cannot all be in the same political

party and Nigeria cannot be one party state. The electoral commission

should therefore be fair to all concerned.
“As for me, I do not need INEC or agency of the government to help me

and the PDP candidate to win the election and INEC and federal

government agencies should not also provide help for other

contestants.”
The statement issued in Ado-Ekiti on Friday, read in part; “Yesterday,

the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) picked July 14,

2018 for the Ekiti State Governorship election. We welcome the

announcement of the election timetable because even before INEC

released the timetable, we, in the PDP in Ekiti State have prepared

well enough for the election and are good to go anytime, any day.

“It is hopeful that INEC will not succumb to pressure from those who

may want to take Ekiti State by means other than free, fair and

transparent electoral process and truncate the rights of Ekiti people

to make their choice.
“To our teeming supporters, eternal vigilance is most required from

now till the end of the election.
“I am confident that Ekiti people will resist any plot to subvert

their collective wish because they have done it not once, not twice.

Most importantly, support of the people of Ekiti for me and the PDP

has never been in doubt.
“It is on this note that I call on the international community as well

as local election observers to from now, take very strong interest in

the Ekiti 2018 governorship election and monitor INEC as it begins the

processes leading to the conduct of the election.
“The international community must monitor INEC from now and see to it

that the electoral commission conducts a free, fair and credible

election so that the world can be assured of a hitch-free election in

2019.
“On our part as Ekiti people, we must pray persistently because with

prayers, all the plots against our collective wish as a people will

come to naught.”