Alleged rigging of Ekiti election: Soldiers ready to testify —Fayemi
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FORMER governor of Ekiti State, Dr Kayode Fayemi, has said that some military officers are “ready to give evidence in court” concerning an audio clip trending on the internet, which allegedly caught some senior Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) members and military chiefs plotting how to rig the June 21, 2014 governorship election in the state.
Fayemi, who stated this while on a live radio programme monitored in Ado Ekiti, on Thursday, said he was already taking “appropriate constitutional steps” on the audio tapes, saying more would follow soon.
He said: “We are already taking appropriate constitutional steps on the matter. In fact, there are soldiers who are ready to testify in court. There are many Captains Sagir Kolis, who are willing to give evidence in the court of law. I am just appealing to all Nigerians to be patient as events unfold.”
According to Fayemi, it was unfortunate that “Ekiti was used as a sacrificial lamb for the new rigging technique,” saying it failed in Osun State because the plot blew into open with an alleged plot to deploy General Mommoh to Osun State to re-enact Ekiti State feat.
An audio clip purported to be the voices of Governor Ayo Fayose, former Minister of State (Defence), Musiliu Obanikoro, the Police Affairs Minister, Jelili Adesiyan, Osun State PDP governorship candidate, Senator Iyiola Omisore, General Aliyu Momoh, allegedly haggling about rigging plans for the Ekiti State governorship election was aired on the programme.
He said: “We in the APC will not allow the use of the military to oversee the conduct of the elections, because we know and we are aware that they have sown fake police uniforms, they have sewn fake army uniforms but we will not allow them.”
He described his loss of the governorship election in Ekiti State as “mysterious,” saying a party (APC) that had three senators, six members of the House of Representatives, 25 House of Assembly members, council chairmen and councillors could not lose so scandalously.
According to him, the APC had about 260,000 members in the state and wondered if they did not vote for their party.
“They are now using the military to rig elections and Nigerians must be vigilant. It is when the situation cannot be handled by the police that you call in the military.
“If you hear what Captain Koli said that they were giving instructions (to rig Ekiti polls). Chris Uba, who is not a military officer, giving orders to military officers!
“It was soldiers who drove vehicles which conveyed PDP members to arrest APC members. Our members were arrested and they were not released until the election was over.”
Answering questions on why he conceded defeat a day after the poll, Fayemi alleged that “there was a grand plan from Abuja to kill as many people as possible after the election should there be any demonstration or protest against the result.”
Fayemi claimed that some members of his party were ready to take to the streets to protest the arrest of many party leaders and members by soldiers, but he had to concede to prevent killing of innocent people and ensure tension went down and people assumed their normal lives.
He said: “Yes, I carefully couched my statement and I said if this is the will of the people of Ekiti, then I accept, but in the second paragraph, I said the peace of Ekiti was paramount to me and I am choosing peace first, justice later.”
According to the ex-governor, some soldiers posted to the state for election duty at last year’s governorship poll drove vehicles that conveyed PDP chieftains and members to arrest many APC chieftains and members who were detained and we released when election was over.
He said his party, the APC, would resist plans to use soldiers during the general election, saying this was given bite by the Federal High Court, Sokoto judgment, which ruled against the use of soldiers for electoral duties.
