A northern-based rights activist and President of the Civil Rights Congress of Nigeria, Mallam Shehu Sani said on Tuesday that the June 21 governorship election in Ekiti State could not be said to be free and fair as being adjudged.
Sani, in a statement to our correspondents in Kaduna on Tuesday, said the election could not be free and fair when the government of the day used security operatives to harass and intimidate political opponents to favour the ruling Peoples Democratic Party’s candidate, Mr. Ayo Fayose.
The CRC’s boss noted that in the run off to that election, key APC figures, campaign managers as well as government functionaries were arrested, adding that a credible elections must be devoid of the use of force or coercion in any way.
The pro-democracy activist warned that what happened in Ekiti must not happen in Osun State in during the forthcoming governorship poll in that state.
“The PDP did not win Ekiti; they captured Ekiti through the strategy of force and inducement. Governor Kayode Fayemi’s acceptance of defeat is more for peace than for justice. Those in Abuja reveling in the victory over APC are simply toasting to the cruel triumph of might over morality. The will of the people cannot be said to be freely expressed with a record military planes hovering over the skies of Ekiti and soldiers on the ground,” he said.
He urged Nigerians to rise up against what he described as ‘forces against democracy’ and be ready, prepared to defend their votes against the predatory ruling party backed by the state apparatus.”
Sani, a senatorial aspirant on the platform of the All Progressives Congress in Kaduna State, said democratic and progressive forces in Nigeria should not tolerate the repeat of the Ekiti episode in 2015:
He said, “Those who accepted, endorsed and embraced Ekiti elections as free and fair are by extension giving their imprint to the adoption of it in the 2015 general elections.
“We fought and ended military rule in Nigeria. We will not tolerate its return through the backdoor. Drafting the military to supervise elections position them to partisanship, drags them into murky political waters and negatively affect their professionalism.
“The Ekiti elections is neither free nor fair irrespective of the acceptance of Governor Kayode Fayemi. The cruelty and Brigandage by the security apparatus in the days to the election created an atmosphere of fear, apprehension and intimidation that can in no reasonable assessment be considered as fair. Click to signup for FREE news updates, latest information and hottest gists everyday
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Boko Haram,what do you mean? Better you mind your own business-suicide bomber.
ReplyDeleteWhat of you that has been dealing with vampires in the name of.boko haram. Do you now claim to be a democrat? Nonsense vampire.
ReplyDeleteIs this man the only person who saw what he claimed. Happened. This crying more than the bereaved has a sinister motive. Ekiti people are not complaining and someone from nowhete is beating the drum of discord
ReplyDeletedoes it means for election to be free and fair,people must be matcheted and there must be violent?
ReplyDeleteWhat define a Maron is his ability to pass comment when he doesn't understand d situation. In my pollin unit all d securities were friendly to d pple even as d solders maintained their distance leavin only 2 NSCDC, 2 Policemen & 1 immigration Officer to assist d corpers only in lining d pple. So some idiot will pass foolish coments even as APC gives N5,000 and PDP only give N500 yet the winning. Ekiti pple are principled pple who are nt affraid in face of guns to stand for their right. So all these whinnin & ramblin shud stop!
DeleteLightening and thunder fire ur mouth
ReplyDeletewhat is your business Mr Northerner. why not remove the log in your eyes by tackling the problems facing your people. We Ekiti people have voted for the man we want not his party. 4ur info, it was free n fair.
ReplyDeleteMy sentiments exactly.
ReplyDeleteAnambra people rejected APC, there were protests and court threats from Lagos and Ibadan. Ekiti people rejected APC, now protest from the North. Gov. Oshomole n his co-travellers cried of security intimidation and cursed INEC during the EDO guber election but shut up when APC was announced winner. Bad losers indeed.
ReplyDeleteThe intellectual head of the Boko Haram is again calling on his Boko Haram members in Osun State to take up arms against Nigeria should his candidate lose in August. This same man who is the face mass murderers is sending a message to his boys all over the country to start the killing spree should Nigerians decide to reject them and the blood soaked hands and party in 2015. Mallam Sani, you cannot turn Osun to what you turned Borno State. Nigerians will reject it and you will be prosecuted and shamed.
ReplyDeleteMallam Sani should be reminded that Amaechi, Oshiomole, Wamako who were not allowed to enter Ekiti do not have voting rights in Ekiti. Moreso, apart from not having voting rights, there was nothing official for them to do in Ekiti At that they attempted to Ekiti. As a person, I would have sympatised with Sani if he has no intention to contest on the platform of APC, but his membership of the APC with interest in an elective office, I see his description of the election as frost with brazenly wrong motive.
ReplyDeleteShehu Musa. May be you sent your own different election monitors. Or may be it would have been free and fair if bombs exploded at different location! Musa you are on your own. Fayemi has accepted defeat and congratulated the winner and you are saying the opposite. You can go to court to contest the result. Shi ke na!
ReplyDeleteAll the commentators so far are short of fair judgement, they should ask why so much deployment of security men including soldiers to man a civil activity of voting when there was no sign of rioting. The FG cannot even deploy these men to the troubled spots of the country, rather preserving them to use in harassing innocent voters. We will continue to live in this backward state till thy kingdom come.
ReplyDeletewhat did you expect from him he want to become senator he must propaganda APC agenda of causing confusion in the country and start blaming others party
ReplyDeleteIf violennce had escalated in Ekiti state during the election I believe it could have spreat to other parts of the country then this same people will be saying the president refused to deploy enough security personnels to the state. It is on record that these same noise makers advised the govt to free boko haram members or rather grant them amnesty. They have never spoken against the killings by the fulani herdsmen in their state - they see nothing wrong with it- yet they have the guts to talk about election in another state. We have not received report from ekiti citizens that law enforcement officers rigged elections in any poling unit nor was it reported that citizens were forced to vote for any canditate yet some attention seekers what us to believe they are fighting for the common man and should me listened and respected. What is he looking for in the senate? His share of the nationalcake ofcause or is he not going to be paid salaries and allowances? I hope Fayoshe works for his ppl.
ReplyDelete