GROUPS ACCUSE FAYEMI OF PLANNING TO DISRUPT POLLS
A coalition of Non Governmental Organisations in Ekiti State, Movement for Peace and Good Governance in Ekiti (MOPEGO) has accused the Governor Kayode Fayemi-led Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) government in the State of planning to disrupt the next Tuesday National and State House of Assembly elections, especially in areas considered as strongholds of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the Labour Party (LP).
The group, which also decried the distribution of cutlasses to “farmers” by the State governor on Tuesday, alleged that several clandestine meetings have been going on in the State Government House since Wednesday on ways to cause violence and snatch ballot boxes and papers in towns like Okemesi, Aramoko, Usi, Ifaki, Oye, Ilawe, Ode, Ise, Ayegbaju, Ijesa-Isu, Omuo and others.
MOPEGO, a coalition of Non Governmental Organisations in Ekiti State, alleged in a statement jointly signed by the Coalition's Protem Chairman, Dr. Tunji Oluwasanmi, Secretary, Comrade Ebenezer Olaleye and Director of Communications and Strategy, Gbenga Babawibe that Fayemi's Senior Special Assistant (SSA) on Youths, Mr. Sola Omonijo an indigene of Ede, Osun State and SSA Mobilisation, Mr Tope Osatoyinbo met with ACN Youth leaders in all the 177 wards in the State on Wednesday where the plot was hatched.
“From information available to us, the ACN people are out to cause breakdown of law and order in Ekiti State during the next Tuesday elections and security agencies in the State must make sure that this devilish plans are not allowed to manifest.
“At the meeting they held in the government house on Wednesday, youth leaders of the ACN in all the wards in the State were told in clear terms that they must make sure that votes in all PDP and LP strongholds are not allowed to count.
“The fear of the ACN was stemmed from the party's failure in the last Saturday presidential election.”
While also questioning the rationale behind the Tuesday distribution of new cutlasses by the State governor, MOPEGO said; “That a governor choose to distribute new matchetes to supposed farmers less than a week to major elections leaves much to be desired.
“How can Fayemi be sharing brand new cutlasses when election is less than one week and at the same time be preaching peace?
“How can a governor be withholding salaries of workers or suspending them for allegedly voting for the PDP during the presidential election and at the same time be begging the same workers to vote for his party?
“The long and short of all these is that we have anti-democratic elements at the helms of affairs in the State and Ekiti people must be ready to protect their votes on Tuesday.”