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Friday, 20 June 2014

EKITI ELECTION: MATTERS ARISING


As the people of Ekiti go to the polls, the single question on their minds ought to be: Are we better off today than we were three and half years ago?

We believe that a sizeable number of the people of Ekiti State will answer this question in the affirmative.

As the Ekiti State governorship election holds tomorrow, Saturday, June 21, 2014, there is no doubt that the
three frontline candidates, namely, Kayode Fayemi of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Ayodele Fayose, of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Opeyemi Bamidele, of the Labour Party (LP) have canvassed their manifestoes before the electorate.

While the opposition candidates have been striving to present themselves as alternatives to the status quo, the incumbent, Governor Fayemi, has made it clear that he is running on his record since assuming office. Be these as they may, what is most manifest is that, at the heart of the election on Saturday is a referendum on the three and half years governance of Fayemi.

Not a few believe that the Fayemi administration took off from a very low base, as the state remains essentially a civil service state with meagre internally generated revenue. This necessitated successive governors to go cap in hand to the central government for the monthly revenue allocation. The thrust of Fayemi’s effort has been devoted to changing this profile.

To that end, Fayemi has concentrated his attention on putting in place the building blocks to transform Ekiti from a civil service state, to one that is able to generate an appreciable income on its own, and also provide an enabling environment for private enterprise to thrive. His vision is to clear the path to a viable model for sustainable development of Ekiti State.

On the conduct of the election, we are encouraged by reports during the week that electoral materials have arrived early in the State for onward distribution to the 177 wards. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) should also ensure that these materials, and indeed their staff and volunteers, arrive early at the wards for voting to commence on schedule.

INEC needs no reminder that the Ekiti election is a litmus test for the Commission’s ability to conduct free, fair and acceptable elections in Osun State in August 2014 and the nation in 2015. It is therefore important for INEC to put in place the appropriate logistics to ensure a hitch-free governorship election in Ekiti State.

The security forces should also stay faithful to their constitutional duties. As correctly noted by the Commandant-General of the Nigerian Securities and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Dr Ade Abolurin, they should “be neutral, transparent and conduct themselves in manner which show they are not bias”.

On the part of the voters, it is their civic duty to turn out en masse on Saturday to vote for their preferred candidates, and also exercise high vigilance to protect their vote. In the words of the late Russian leader, Nikita Khrushchev, in an election, “the issue is not the voting but the counting”.

We urge the people of Ekiti State to ensure that they come out and vote and, after casting their vote, exercise sufficient vigilance to make sure that their votes are counted.

As the people of Ekiti go to the polls, the single question on their minds ought to be: Are we better off today than we were three and half years ago? We believe that a sizeable number of the people of Ekiti State will answer this question in the affirmative. More importantly, the opposing field does not appear to have made a discernable impact in its attempt to present a credible and clearer promise.

We see the current initiatives of the Fayemi administration as works in progress. They need time to grow and mature. This newspaper believes that another four years in office will provide more time for Governor Fayemi to move his vision forward.

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