APC, PDP spat over Ekiti guber election

By Lawrence Olaoye & Umar Muhammad Puma

As the Ekiti state governorship election billed for this weekend approaches, the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have been at each other’s throats over allegations of plot to rig and unleash mayhem on the people of the state.

While the APC has alleged that it had uncovered a plot by the PDP led government to influence the outcome of the elections, the latter alleged an orchestrated plan by the former to cause confusion and set the stage for disturbances following their realization that the people have rejected it ahead of Saturday’s governorship election.

APC’s National Chairman, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, at the inauguration of the new executives of the party yesterday in Abuja, claimed that his party on Tuesday, June 17, 2014 uncovered two loaded aircraft which landed at the Akure airport with undisclosed contents which were immediately loaded into a bullion van under the watchful eyes of the Minister of State, Defence, Musiliu Obanikoro.

According to him, series of developments and events were undeniable pointers to a desperate plot to rig the elections at all cost. “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.(Kayode) 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 eleven others from Ekiti State with acts of terrorism, a few days to the election”, he said.

In a swift reaction, the PDP, in a statement signed by its National Secretary, Professor Wale Oladipo, pointed alleged that part of APC’s plot was the highly inflammatory address by its chairman, in which he issued threats to President Goodluck Jonathan and the PDP yesterday.

According to him, the APC was using wild allegations, blackmail and lies as smokescreen to mask the plan by its governors to storm Ekiti state and set up camps in different local governments and use the privilege of their immunity status to perpetrate violence, induce voters, subvert the electoral law and the true will of Ekiti people.

This, he alleged was in addition to an orchestrated plot to use the Ekiti state owned television, EKTV, to spread false information in the state, mislead the people and announce fake results at the end of the day.