We Won’t Participate In Local Govt Poll – Ekiti APC
The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ekiti State has said it will not participate in the weekend local government election across the state.
In a statement by the Publicity Secretary, Taiwo Olatunbosun, the party said it is boycotting the election because of what it described as a “misnomer, undemocratic and compromised election from the beginning”.
Olatunbosun explained: “The compromised State Independent Electoral Commission (SIEC) is composed of members who are card-carrying members of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) with a mandate to endorse and implement the decisions and directives of Governor Ayodele Fayose and his party.
“No democratic institution or political party worth its salt will waste its resources and time to participate in a compromised election and under a lawless administration as exemplified by Fayose.
“Fayose in the last three years has demonstrated an extreme recklessness and executive rascality in government, almost usurping the responsibilities of other arms of government with impunity who is accustomed to presenting himself as the Speaker of the House of Assembly and who also invaded the court where he attacked a judge in the temple of justice.
“Fayose has constituted himself as an enemy of democracy, rule of law and a electoral process and therefore an institution, such as SIEC under him, is an aberration having been instituted contrary to the provisions of the law of the country, and, unfortunately, Ekiti courts are helpless in calling him to order because of fear of violent attacks.
“Again, the process of the emergence of the so-called candidates of PDP under the supervision of almighty Fayose inside Ekiti State Government House was patently illegal and unconstitutional, yet SIEC accepted and approved of such undemocratic and illegal conduct, which points to the direction the charade is headed.
“We won’t join this charade because if they could do that to members of their party, then it is instructive for us as an opposition party to know we cannot have a free, fair and credible election, particularly under a caged, compromised and biased umpire. “Fayose’s administration as a product of militarised and rigged election can not give what he does not have and so our party will not participate in any stage-managed and undemocratic exercise intended to deceive the general public.
“Above all, to the best of our knowledge, SIEC is not having any updated voters list and the contract for the printing of ballot materials was awarded to Fayose’s son’s company and delivered to the Government House earlier this week.
“If Fayose could manage to compromise an election conducted by INEC by obtaining the soft copies of INEC’s sensitive materials he printed to win his election, we don’t know the chance we stand to win a single seat in an election to be conducted with electoral materials printed by his son.”
Olatunbosun urged APC members to go about their legitimate businesses or stay at home on Saturday while Fayose conducts his “illegal and compromised election”.
