Monday, July 9, 2018

news
Ekiti election: Police deploy 30,000 personnel, two choppers, others
Adelani Adepegba, Abuja
The police have deployed
30,000 operatives, two
helicopters and 250 patrol
vehicles, including five
Armoured Personnel Carriers,
for the July 14 governorship
election in Ekiti State.
The Force Public Relations
Officer, acting DCP Jimoh
Moshood, said in a statement
in Abuja on Sunday that the
security operation for the poll
would be supervised by the
Deputy Inspector-General of
Police, Operations, Joshiak
Habila, who would be assisted
by an Assistant Inspector-
General of Police, four
Commissioners of Police, eight
Deputy Commissioners of Police
CNPP advises INEC
Friday olokor, jos
The Conference of Nigeria
Political Parties on Sunday
challenged the Independent
National Electoral Commission
and security agencies to
ensure that the forthcoming
governorship election in Ekiti
State is free and fair.
The body also called on Civil
Society Organisations, media
and election observers “to be
extra-vigilant and expose all
forms of rigging in other to save
Nigeria’s democracy.” It said the
outcome of Ekiti election would
determine the confidence of
voters in the conduct of the 2019
general elections.”
The CNPP, in a statement by its
chairman and former governor of
old Kaduna State, Alhaji Balarabe
Musa, urged politicians in Ekiti
State to “play by the rules of the
game.”
The CNPP said, “We must
remind ourselves that the
survival of democracy is vital at
this time and for this to happen,
all stakeholders must subject
themselves to the ultimate will of
the electorate.
“Therefore, INEC, the media
and all security agencies, as
well as election observers for
the forthcoming Ekiti State
governorship election, must be
vigilant.
“We urge the electoral umpire
to ensure that the outcome of
the Ekiti State election reflects
the virtues of fairness, good
conscience, rule of law and
credibility.
“This will not only boost the
confidence of the electorate in
the Nigerian electoral process
but also elevate the rating of the
current leadership of INEC as
the country prepares for the 2019
general elections.
“At no time in the history
of the country have the young
people shown eagerness to fully
participate in the electoral process
than now. It is the duty of INEC
and the security agencies to
reassure the voters that their
votes are counted and also count
in determining who leads them.
“We equally appeal to
politicians, especially the
candidates in the Ekiti
governorship election to play
according to the rules and
allow the electorate to choose
who governs them without
intimidation in an atmosphere
of peace, devoid of any form of
violence.”
and 18 Assistant Commissioners
of Police.
He explained that each
Senatorial district would be
manned by a Commissioner of
Police.
“To ensure adequate security
and safety of life and property
before, during and after the
elections, the IGP has approved
the deployment of 30,000 police
personnel in Ekiti State for the
election.
“Four policemen and two
others from other security
agencies will be on duty at each
polling unit throughout the
state. The Police Mobile Force,to
be headed by a very senior
officer, will provide security at
the results collation centres,” the
statement explained.
The deployment, the police
said, also included 10 Armoured
Personnel vehicles, Police
Mobile Force Units, Counter-
Terrorism Unit, the Special
Protection Unit, the Anti-
Bomb Squad, conventional
policemen, the Armament Unit,
Force Criminal Intelligence and
Investigation Department and
the sniffer dogs section.
The force stated that other
security and safety agencies
who are members of the Inter-
Agency Consultative Committee
on Election Security in the state
would complement the Nigeria
Police during the election.
The police added that threat
assessment had been carried
out in the state and all identified
flashpoints and trouble-prone
areas had been addressed,
stressing that it would deal with
anyone or group “no matter how
highly placed whose utterances
or conduct are contrary to the
electoral Act or that could incite
disturbance of public peace, law
and order before, during or after
the election.”
Moshood explained that
special security identification
tags would be worn by all the
security personnel on election
duty, insisting that no operative
would be allowed to move to
any other location during the
election period other than where
he was deployed.
“As part of additional
measures to guarantee a
peaceful and credible election,
the IGP will on July 9 attend a
stakeholder and peace accord
meeting of all the 35 political
parties participating in the
election and their candidates,
election officials, observers and
other accredited stakeholders
in Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State,”
Moshood explained.
He declared that security
personnel attached to public
office holders and politicians
would not be allowed to follow
their principals to the polling
units or collation centres.
“Commissioners of Police and
their personnel in states close to
Ekiti State, such as Ondo, Osun,
Kwara, Kogi, Ogun, Edo and Oyo
States have been directed by the
IG to be on the red alert with
their personnel.
“Restriction of vehicular
movement in and out of Ekiti
State will commence from
12-midnight of Friday, 13th July
2018 till the end of the election.
Travellers and other road users
are advised to make use of
alternative routes. However,
those on essential duties on the
genuine course will be granted
passage,” the police said.
•L-R: Secretary General, Igbimo Ure Ekiti, Sir Remi Omotoso; President, Prince Julius Adelusi-Adeluyi; a former
President, Nigerian Bar Association, Chief Wole Olanipekun(SAN); historian, Prof Banji Akintoye; and a former
Managing Director, UAC of Nigeria Plc, Dr Ayo Ajayi, during a press conference towards peaceful conduct of the
forthcoming governorship election in Ekiti State, in Lagos... on Sunday. Photo: Igbimo Ure Ekiti
Keep military away, Ekiti elders tell Buhari
Oladimeji Ramon
The Igbimo Ure Ekiti, a
consultative body of eminent
elders and leaders of Ekiti
State from within and outside
Nigeria, have called on President
Muhammadu Buhari to keep the
military away from the July 14
governorship election in Ekiti
State.
This was just as the elders
condemned the desperation of
the two leading political parties –
the Peoples Democratic Party and
the All Progressives Congress – to
win the election at all costs.
The IUE, which addressed
a press conference in Lagos on
Sunday, expressed concern
about the atmosphere of tension
being created in the Ekiti State
ahead of the election, particularly
as a result of shootings and use
of hate speeches.
In the text of the press
conference jointly signed by its
National President, Prince Julius
Adelusi-Adeluyi, and General
Secretary, Sir Remi Omotoso,
the IUE said election not being
a war; President Buhari should
ensure that the military was not
involved.
The elders said, “With the
palpable fear of the people
within the state that the army
may be used for this election,
we call on Mr President and
the Commander-in-Chief of
the Armed Forces, President
Muhammed Buhari, to ensure
that men and women of the
Nigerian Armed Forces are not
involved in an electoral process
that is totally, essentially and
constitutionally a civil matter.
“Election is not a war. The
earlier we began to instil
confidence in the ability and
the capacity of the Nigeria
Police Force together with
other civil security agencies for
the prevention and detection
of crime, apprehension of
offenders, protection of lives and
properties, preservation of law
Fayemi tackles Fayose on cattle colony claims
Kamarudeen Ogundele,
Ado Ekiti
The Kayode Fayemi
Campaign Organisation
has accused Governor Ayodele
Fayose of insincerity in his
claim that the candidate of the
All Progressives Congress, Dr
Kayode Fayemi, plans to create
cattle colonies across the state if
he wins the July 14 poll.
It accused Fayose of running
a campaign of blackmail and lies
instead of programmes to sell his
candidate to voters.
A statement by the Director,
Media and Publicity of the
Kayode Fayemi Campaign
Ekiti Governorship Election
Organisation, Wole Olujobi,
accused Fayose of mischievously
exploiting herdsmen’s crisis
across the nation to paint
Fayemi as a backer of herdsmen
in their deadly attacks that had
claimed hundreds of lives.
“Fayose has been deceiving
Ekiti people and indeed all
Nigerians that Fayemi is
a promoter of herdsmen’s
activities and that he is ready
to create cattle colonies as one
of his principal programmes
so that herdsmen can unleash
terror on Ekiti people.
“By this misrepresentation,
Ekiti people will be unwilling to
vote for Fayemi whereas Fayose
himself in his Executive Bill he
signed into the law last year had
approved the creation of cattle
colonies across the state to solve
herdsmen’s crisis.
“After Fayose signed the law
establishing cattle colonies
across the state, immediately
he discovered that herdsmen
crisis is a good point to nail
Fayemi, he quickly lapsed into
manipulating the alleged plan to
create cattle colonies by the APC
candidate to paint him black.”
KFCO accused Fayose of
running Ekiti State like a
foreman at a construction site.
and order and due enforcement of
our laws and regulation including
our electoral laws, regulations
and guidelines, the better for our
democracy.”
Recalling that the governorship
election and the re-run that
followed between 2007 and
2010 were characterised by
killing, destruction of valuable
assets and trepidation among
Ekiti State residents, the Ekiti
elders appealed to the political
gladiators not to allow history to
repeat itself.
“No one will forget in
a hurry, the Ido Osi tragedy,
the Oye skirmishes, and the
inconsistencies of Madam Ayoka
Adebayo, the then Ekiti State
Electoral Commissioner,” the
IUE said.
“As a people, we must learn
from history. The failure to learn
from history is the reason for
repeating same mistakes. We
wish to recall with pain and
anguish the electoral crisis of 1983
in the old Ondo State (comprising
of the present Ondo State and
Ekiti State) which occasioned loss
of several lives and destruction
of properties,” the elders added.
Apart from Adelusi-Adeluyi
and Omotosho, others present
at the press conference were a
Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Chief
Wole Olanipekun, historian, Prof.
Banji Akintoye and a former
Managing Director, UAC, Dr.
Ayo Ajayi.
MONDAY, JULY 9, 2018
59
Wema Bank job
makes me best for
gov – Omoyeni
Kamarudeen Ogundele,
Ado Ekiti
The
Governorship
Candidate of the Mega
Party Candidate in Ekiti State,
Mr. Bisi Omoyeni, has said
his former position as the
Group Managing Director of
Wema Bank Plc makes him the
best candidate in the July 14
governorship election.
He also revealed the reasons
he resigned as the deputy
governor of Ekiti State and
returned to Wema Bank Plc as
the Group Managing Director/
Chief Executive in December
2005.
Omoyeni was appointed the
deputy governor by the then
Governor Ayodele Fayose in
2005. However, within three
months in office as the deputy
governor, he resigned to take
up the Wema Bank top job.
Speaking at a campaign rally
in Ikole and Moba, Omoyeni
said the Board of the Odua
Investment Company, who
was the major owner of Wema
Bank Plc, appealed to him to
return to the bank to serve
the people of South-West and
Nigeria instead of serving just
the people of Ekiti as deputy
governor.
“A letter was written by the
Board of Odua Investment
Company Limited to Governor
Fayose on December 5, 2005,
seeking for my release as the
deputy governor. The letter
by the Odua Group says they
identified my qualities and
leadership ability and integrity
as a former executive director
of the bank,” he said.
Ekiti teachers ask
DSS to release
colleagues
Kamarudeen Ogundele,
Ado Ekiti
Teachers in Ekiti State
have told the Department
of State Services to immediately
release three teachers in its
custody in the interest of peace.
The three teachers were
arrested while allegedly
duplicating Permanent Voter
Cards at Ola Oluwa Grammar
School, Ilawe Road, Ado Ekiti.
The teachers under the
auspices of the Academic Staff
Union of Secondary Schools
also denied working for the
governorship candidate of the
All Progressives Congress, Dr
Kayode Fayemi.
The ASUSS Chairman, Sola
Adigun, on Sunday, said the
continued detention of the
teachers was not in the best
interest of the state, saying his
colleagues were apolitical and
should not be intimidated by
any security agency.
Adigun urged the people of
the state to discountenance a
statement in circulation that it
was working for Fayemi.
“The said statement, which
could not be signed by the
said faceless individuals for
obvious display of cowardice,
has been transmitted in the
social media,” he noted.