#EkitiGate: Fayose challenges APC to go to court

The governor of Ekiti State, Ayodele Fayose, has asked the All Progressives Congress to challenge his alleged use of the military to rig the June 21, 2014 election that brought him to office in court, instead of resorting to blackmail and proprganda.

He also alleged that the APC was planning to unleash terror on Nigerians if it loses the March 28 presidential election.

Mr. Fayose stated this on Wednesday via a statement signed by his Special Assistant on Public Communications and New Media, Lere Olayinka.

The governor had been enmeshed in controversy over his alleged involvement in the rigging of the governorship election.

His voice and those of the former Minister of State for Defence, Musiliu Obanikoro, the Police Affairs Minister, Jelili Adesiyan, former senator, Iyiola Omisore, an army general, Aliyu Momoh, and others were heard in an audio recording mapping out strategies for the rigging of the governorship election.

He has since admitted it was his voice that was captured in the tape but claimed he was rebuking Mr. Momoh for favouring the APC. The governor had initially denied participating in the meeting.

Apparently responding to the APC’s demand for investigation into the matter, Mr. Fayose accused the opposition party of trying to prevent the involvement of the military in the coming elections so as to be able to perpetrate violence during the elections.

According to him, President Goodluck Jonathan had the right under the country’s constitution to deploy soldiers to provide security anywhere in Nigeria and that the APC and its allies in the judiciary could not take away that right.

Mr. Fayose said the military was being blackmailed by the APC because the party has not being able to compromise the institution.

“When APC people begin to blackmail an institution, it simply means that such institution has refused to be corrupted by the party,” he said.

“All the noise being made by the APC and its lousy leaders on their purported audio/video clip is aimed at blackmailing the military into abandoning its responsibility of providing security during the election so that they can carry out their evil plot of unleashing violence on Nigerians unhindered.

“They invaded Ekiti with thugs during the June 21, 2014 governorship election but the presence of soldiers prevented the thugs from operating in the state.”

While describing the APC “as a party of shameless hypocrites”, Mr. Fayose said when soldiers were deployed in Edo State in 2012 and the election was won by the party, the governor, Adams Oshiomhole led APC leaders on a thank you visit to Mr. Jonathan in Abuja.

He stated, “The same soldiers that provided security in Edo State and APC won, provided security in Ondo and Ekiti State. APC lost in the two states and Nigerians have not been allowed to rest.

“Should election be seen as free and fair only when APC wins? Should the military be hailed for providing adequate security during elections only when APC wins?”

The governor vowed that he and his party would resist any plan by the opposition to cause mayhem in the state during and after the general elections.

“Also, let the APC be told pointedly that President Jonathan will deploy soldiers to provide security for Nigerians before, during and after the general elections and the APC blackmailers should drop their evil plan of visiting terror on Nigerians after losing the presidential election,” he added.