Winner of last Saturday’s governorship election in Ekiti State, Mr Ayo Fayose, yesterday held a meeting with the defeated All Progressives Congress APC candidate and incumbent governor, Dr Kayode Fayemi over the setting up of a transition committee.
The committee was to draw up a report for the smooth transition on October 16, 2014, following the emergence of Fayose, the Peoples Democratic Party flagbearer in the June 21 Governorship election.
Addressing Fayose and his team at the Governor’s office in Ado Ekiti yesterday, Fayemi said he would continue to identify with every action geared towards the development and progress of Ekiti State.
“They said my congratulatory message to the Governor-elect is unAfrican or unNigerian. I don’t think it was so because that was what I was expected to do as a democrat.
“As an elected officer, I have no choice than to respect the wishes of the people. Our democracy is fragile and we have to do whatever we can as leaders to strengthen and deepen it the more” Fayemi said.
Speaking earlier, Fayose said his coming to the governor was borne out of the genuine intention to promote love and unity among Ekiti leaders. He praised the Governor for conceding defeat to him, saying this states manly conduct would forever remain in history.
Reacting to PDP’s victory in the Ekiti election, the Special Adviser to the President on Political Matters, Prof. Rufai Ahmed Alkali, declared that President Goodluck Jonathan has ensured that every vote counts and that people are allowed to elect their leaders without let or hindrance.
Prof Alkali also commended the All Progressives Party (APC) for conceding defeat after the polls, noting that the opposition had learnt from the PDP and President Jonathan who congratulated the winner of election.
The Transition Monitoring Group (TMG) in its preliminary statement on the Ekiti Gubernatorial Elections said the result was a true reflection of the will of the voters of Ekiti state.
Speaking at a media briefing in Abuja yesterday, Chairman of the group, Comrade Ibrahim Zikirullahi said “TMG can independently verify that the official results announced by INEC accurately reflects the ballots and voters can have the confidence that the INEC results are a true reflection of the will of the voters of Ekiti state as the results fall within the TMG estimated Quick Count Range”.
Workers in Ekiti State have urged the Governor-elect to fulfil his electoral promises to them. A cross-section of the workers made the call in Oye and Ikole Ekiti in separate interviews where they expressed satisfaction with the outcome of the election.
Meanwhile, the Senate Leader, Sen. Victor Ndoma-Egba, said Gov. Fayemi was a rare breed of a politician who showed good sportsmanship by conceding victory to Governor-elect, Mr Ayo Fayose.
He said that Fayemi had brought “a new dimension” into Nigerian politics by conceding victory to Fayose when it became clear that “the people have spoken”.
Information minister, Mr Labaran Maku has described PDP Ekiti State governor-elect, Ayo Fayose’s victory in last Saturday’s election as the beginning of the end of APC’s rule in the south west.
Maku made the statement yesterday while addressing supporters of PDP in Nasarawa Eggon LGA, Nasarawa State, where he said the PDP had repositioned to capture all the states in the 2015 general election.
“The victory of the PDP in the just-concluded governorship election in Ekiti State has marked the beginning of the end of APC rule in some states of the Federation. Wherever they hold broom, count it in 2015 they will be defeated because PDP has come back alive,” he said.
The national leadership of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has described Governor Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti state as a true democrat for his rare show of patriotism and sportsmanship in conceding defeat and congratulating the PDP candidate and Ekiti state governor-elect, Mr. Ayodele Fayose over his victory at last Saturday’s governorship election.
PDP in a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary Oliseh Metuh said “this exceptional show of statesmanship has indeed earned Governor Fayemi the respect and admiration of Nigerians as a man of honour, a true democrat and a patriot”.
Nigeria Bar Association (NBA) has endorsed last Saturday’s governorship election in Ekiti State. The legal body under its election monitoring arm, Election Working Group (EWG), however, added that there would be hope for Nigeria if the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) maintained the level of credibility that heralded the election.
A non-governmental organisation, the CLEEN Foundation, has praised the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and security agencies for the successful conduct of Ekiti election.
The organisation which is one of accredited observer groups that monitored the election at a press conference in Ado-Ekiti yesterday said the credibility of the poll accounted for the acceptability of its outcome by all the contending candidates.
The United States of America, through its embassy in Abuja has given a thumbs-up for the recently conducted governorship election in Ekiti state.
According to a press release made available to LEADERSHIP yesterday, all stakeholders played their parts relatively well in an electionthat was both ‘efficient and credible.’
Source: Leadership
April 23, 2014, 09:06:58 AM