EKITI: LOUDER BEATS OF WAR DRUMS

As the June 21 governorship election in Ekiti state draws nearer, leading parties in the race and their candidates have intensified campaigns to woo the electorate. Although, it is generally considered a three -horse race, there are also fringe candidates who are raring to go and cannot be ignored. For the candidates of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Dr Kayode Fayemi, Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, MR Ayo Fayose, and the Labour Party, LP, Mr Opeyemi Bamidele, frenetic efforts for possible victory has led to greater apprehension and louder drum beats of war. Traditionally, Ekiti elections are reputed for its uproarious din and combativeness. Apart from these three leading contenders, others

who are daily injecting sensations and increasing the tempo of activities include Barrister Kole Ajayi of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, Mr Bola Oroko of the African Democratic Congress, ADC, Mr Opeyemi Michael Osekita of the Ac­tion Alliance, AA, and Engr Goke Animashaun of the Pro­gressives Peoples Alliance, PPA. There are also Prince Bamigbade Peter of the Allied Congress Party of Nigeria (ACPN), Mr Victor Oluseyi Osekita of the Alliance for De­mocracy, AD, Mrs Oluyo Folashade Aluko of the African Peoples Alliance, APA, and Mr Francis Oluwafemi Idowu of the Citizens Popular Party, CPP. Also not left out of the jostling are Pastor Ade Ogunkolade of the Kowa party, KP, Mr Ajibola Akinwale of Mega Progressive Peoples Party, MPPP, Comrade Ilesanmi Bankole of the National Con­science Party, NCP, and Prince Banjo Gboyega of the People for Democratic Change, PDC. Also in the thick of campaigns for the job include Evangelist Kehinde Rufus of the Peoples Party of Nigeria, Engr Ayo Adeleke Adekola of the Social Democratic Party, SDP, Mr Phillips Adeniyi Akin­ropo of the United Democratic Party, UDP and Odunayo Babatola Ogundana of the United Progressive Party, UPP.

But despite these staggering number of candidates (19) the electioneering effectively revolves around the trio of Fayemi, Fayose, and Bamidele. Stringent warnings by the Independent national Electoral Commission, INEC, religious leaders, tra­ditional leaders and concerned statesmen for them to shun the use of thugs, and minimize violence is yet to cut any ice with them. Armed thugs from the contending campaign groups are daily roaming the streets of Ado-Ekiti, Ifaki, Ilawe,Oye-ekiti, and other major centres unleashing violence and intimidating the people. The escape to this method has diffused the initial issues- based campaigns.

Beasts unplugged

During a campaign tour of Ipole -Ilore, last Wednesday. Bamidele’s entourage was attacked by thugs ostensibly sent by the APC. Bamidele had decided to pay a courtesy call on the Monarch, Oba Ezekiel Oladele, when some miscreants at­tacked them. Some of the thugs brandished brooms from their buses which lent credence to suspicions of their APC roots. According to the LP spokesman in the state, Bolanle Olatunde Bruce, “the attack was unexpected, because it was clear that the candidate has never been a man of violence”.

“We have reported to the police. We pray that these people will stop this violent attitude. Labour party and Bamidele in Ekiti state are not known for violence. All we want is the space to carry out our campaigns and convince the electorate that our party will rescue them from the mess the reign of APC has caused”.

The Fayemi Campaign organization reacted swiftly after the Mayhem accusing the LP of perpetrating the violence and turning around to blame them. Spokesman of the campaign outfit Mr Dimeji Daniels said “It was the LP thugs, who apart from beating some APC members also vandalized the cam­paign billboards of Fayemi in the town.

The bizarre tale did not end there. Desperation is the order of the day. A wife of an APC youth leader in the state, Mrs Temilade Rashed was allegedly beaten to pulp last Thursday by some hoodlums. she claimed she was attacked after she was identified as the wife of a leader of the APC by some people in the vicinity. Some members of the APC claimed to have wit­nessed the attack but ironically failed to come to her aid.

Apparently giving tacit backing to the upsurge in violence in the state, the National leader of the APC. Asiwaju Bola Tinubu warned the PDP to be careful of their actions, say­ing untoward behaviour leading to rigging will be met with instant “roasting.” The ex-governor of Lagos state said, “No government that wants peoples votes will be doing what they are doing. They are already planning to rig the elections, but be ready to protect your votes; nobody serves you freedom ala-carte. It is going to be rig and roast.

“We are prepared not to go to court but to drive you out. We will not take it anymore. If you mess up in Ekiti and Osun states, you will see our reactions. For every action, there must be a reaction”.Tinubu’s vitriolic outburst depicts a harrowing and deplorable situation where protagonists are pointing accusing fingers at each other with each of them po­sitioning as the victim.

Fayose is not left out of the binge. Recently, he was ac­cused of sending thugs to disrupt Fayemi’s rally at Ifaki. The thugs did not however have a smooth sail as they met a counter-stiff resistance from thugs retained by the APC. Scores were injured, before the PDP thugs retreated. One of the victims of the clash Gbenga Oduyemi, a native of the area, said he was caught in the cross fire as he was trying to flee from the troubled spot. “We were waiting for the arrival of the governor so that the rally will commence. Two bus loads of thugs just arrived and started beating everybody in sight at the venue and smashing the tables and chairs. People fled like rabbits in all directions. The police men who were there did not do anything to stop them. They were merely talking to them to stop.

“After making sure that arrangements for the rally had been uprooted, they attempted to get away when some APC youths mobilized and confronted them. One of their vehicles was destroyed, but they still managed to get away. So many people were injured in the melee”.

Fayose’s body language and disposition since he clinched the PDP ticket gave vent to the ensuing style of his cam­paigns. He has reportedly declared many times that he is the man suited for the job of defeating “Fayemi and his APC”.

“They know me very well and that I have the capac­ity to rout them out of the Ado-Ekiti government House”. Although his campaigns have hardly gone with incidents, expectations have been rife that he will surely dot the place with violence even on the eve of the elections.

An APC leader in the state Dele Aramide underscores the descent to violence to Sunday Sun .“I think Fayose’s journey to this election is dogged by his past. A lot of people believe that he has a violent streak, maybe because of his style when he was governor between 2003 and 2006. There were some unresolved murders and violence here and there. His entry into the race put the others on notice and everyone got pre­pared. Incidentally, the others appear to be out doing him in this area”.

Fayose has repeatedly said he had no hand in the many violence and assassinations that occurred in the state during his reign. His traditional ruler, the Onyan of Ijan Ekiti Oba Samuel Fadahunsi has also rallied to his support. He recently declared him innocent of one of the sensational murders in the town that was generally linked to him. It was the murder of his kinsman Dr Ayo Daramola. During Fayose’s visit to the monarch and tour of the community recently, some APC stalwarts sought to make a capital of Daramola’s death by pasting his posters all around the community. The monarch told the crowd that Fayose should be spared of the accusa­tion. “We know the killers of Daramola because their identi­ties were revealed through the ritual we performed. Fayose is innocent. The ritual we performed was thorough; it exon­erated Fayose. it said Fayose did not kill our son and was not connected with murder. Therefore, those linking Fayose to Daramola’s death are doing so for mischief and political reason. As far as I am concerned, as the monarch and as far as Ijan community is concerned, Fayose has no hand in the death of our son”.

The spiralling violence ahead of the elections continues unabated, signalling a door post of blood and death, and cast­ing a pall on the elections. Although the electoral act 2010, has provision for the disqualification of aspirants tainted with violence, nothing is being done besides verbal admonitions by INEC to invoke the provision. The National Assembly had earlier rejected the proposal by INEC for the establish­ment of the Electoral Offences Commission. INEC had intended to test run it in the Ekiti and Osun governorship election before fully introducing it in the 2015 general elec­tions. In the interim, the senate committee on the review of the 1999 constitution plans to give the Federal High Court powers to handle electoral offences and this will probably be used as part of the amendment to the electoral act.

Deputy senate president and chairman of the committee for the review of the 1999 constitution, Ike Ekweremade elaborates further on the development “We agreed with INEC that there is the need to discourage people from com­mitting electoral offences. INEC sent us a letter requesting for the establishment of an electoral offences commission which had earlier been suggested by the Justice Muhammed Uwais Electoral Committee.

“The view of the National Assembly on the mater is that there are too many organizations and too many bureaucracies. So, what we can do is to take advantage of the existing bureaucracies that deal with the situation. “So we are suggesting, and it will probably come as part of the amendment to the electoral act to place electoral offences at the door steps of the Federal high court. So, we intend to specify in the constitution a provision that makes electoral offences within the purview of the Federal high Court for it to have special jurisdiction to deal with electoral offences”. He said, if placed within the jurisdic­tion of the Federal high court, it would not be influenced by anybody because an electoral offence “is supposed to be a federal offence and no state government will be able to influence it”. He continues; “At least, we assume so and to that extent, this will help to deal with the issue of electoral offences very expeditiously. We agree with INEC, may be in terms of how to achieve it is where we differ”.

So, while the regulatory bodies fiddle and keep faltering on effec­tive measures to curb pre-election violence and offences, the char­acters are daily getting emboldened, fearing no fiend or foe and dar­ing the authorities. Also reacting to the situation. Fayose had warned after a clash between his supporters and that of Fayemi, that if the “use of thugs by the APC is not checked now, this election may be endangered. The authorities have to act fast and be firm. We cannot continue to fold our arms and watch while APC is parading bands of thugs everywhere, attacking their opponents and inflicting injuries on them. This is not the first time. They trail us everywhere we go, and nobody is saying anything. Will they act when it is too late? As the count down to the election begins, there are indications and palpable fears that thuggery and violence will increase both in intensity and quantity. The end result of an election fore shadowed by violence is better imagined than felt.