Victor Ogunje in Ado Ekiti
Ahead of the December 7 local government election in Ekiti State, the leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ado Local Government Area of the state has withdrawn from the race, it would not allow Governor Kayode Fayemi to allegedly use the party members to legitimise a “skewed and predetermined process.”
The opposition party added that rather than dissipating energies on the elections, it would focus on the 2022 governorship election with the aim of returning to the number one position.
PDP, in a statement in Ado Ekiti Wednesday by Hon. Yinka Olomofe, on behalf of Ado-Ekiti PDP Stakeholders, alleged that the Chairman of Ekiti State Independent Electoral Commission (EKSIEC), Justice Jide Aladejana lacked the moral impetus to superintend over a body as sensitive as EKSIEC.
“The integrity of the man named as the Chairman of State Independent Electoral Commission is in doubt. A man suspended as Chief Judge of the state due to his professional misconduct lacks moral standing to conduct a free and fair election,” PDP said.
The party leaders also accused the SIEC of being peopled with card carrying members of the All Progressives Congress (APC), “who were under strict instructions to declare all APC candidates as winners of the elections and thus will not embark on a journey to nowhere.”
The statement said Ado-Ekiti PDP leadership frowned at the alleged attempt by the state government to siphon Ekiti State to the tune of N5 billion, using EKSIEC as a conduit in a predetermined exercise.
“We also frown at the ridiculous amount of money which is said to be about N5 billion purportedly allocated for this shoddy exercise. We will not participate in an exercise which is solely aimed at siphoning the state’s scarce resources,” the statement added.
Olomofe said Ado-Ekiti Local Government PDP would resist the attempt to use it to assert credibility on a venture aimed at allegedly looting Ekiti people.
“An election predetermined to allegedly serve as payback for supporters of Governor Fayemi in APC cannot enjoy our participation. We will not give unnecessary credibility to an election with a predetermined outcome,” the statement said.
Citing its resolve not to endanger the lives of its members as another reason the PDP would not be participating, Olomofe charged PDP members to continue to prepare for the 2022 governorship election, which would attract the attention of men of conscience from across the world, a factor that would limit to a large extent APC penchant for electoral manipulations and violence.
“We therefore urge our members to continue preparing for 2022 governorship elections which is our focus and allow the Fayemi administration and his supporters to continue their peculiar mess which by the grace of God will come to an end very soon,” the party added.
But the SIEC Commissioner in charge of Publicity, Chief Tunde Oloketuyi, said Aladejana is still an employee of the state judiciary and eminently qualified to be appointed as a chairman of SIEC.
Oloketuyi said the commission remains apolitical and that they are resolute to conduct a free and credible poll.
