ATIKU, DANKWABO, BEN BRUCE, OTHERS ANGRY WITH GOVT OVER TREATMENT ON FAYOSE

Gov. Ayodele Fayose accused the police of teargassing and beating him up. 

Some prominent PDP members have turned their anger against the ruling APC in Nigeria over Wednesday’s alleged tear-gassing of a sitting Governor of one of the Southwestern States, Ayodele Fayose.

Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, a presidential aspirant on the platform of the PDP in the 2019 presidential polls did not mince words as he berated the President Muhammadu Buhari-led APC government for what he sees as its high handedness in the ongoing electioneering campaigns in Ekiti State. He said he was appalled at the images coming out of the state, and asked the Federal Government to ensure that everything was done to preserve Nigeria’s hard-earned democracy, which he said he believed was being threatened by campaign violence in Ekiti State, a development that has continued to raise security concern over pockets of violence currently being witnessed in the state.

“I am appalled at the images coming out of Ekiti. The Federal Government should ensure that everything is done to preserve our hard-earned democracy,” Atiku said in a statement.

It will be recall that the election to decide who succeeds Gov Fayose who is not eligible for another tenure having served the mandatory eight  years of two terms, comes up on 14^th July in the State.

On his part, the Executive Governor of Gombe State, Alhaji Hassan Ibrahim Dankwambo, sees the alleged attack on Gov Fayose by the police as an attempt by the ruling party to subvert the will of the people in the gubernatorial election to elect a new governor on Saturday 14^th July, 2018. He declared that such a move by the government or its agents would be resisted, referring to it as shameful and undemocratic.

“The attempt by the ruling party, the All Progressives Congress to subvert the will of the people on Saturday in Ekiti will be resisted. I just got off the phone with my brother, Governor Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti State. He has briefed me of the ongoing harassment by security operatives. What is happening in Ekiti state is shameful and undemocratic,” he said.

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Meanwhile, he is full of confidence that the election would swing victory the way of his party, the PDP, which has Prof. Kolapo Olusola-Eleka (PDP candidate) and Dr. Kayode Fayemi (a former Federal Minister of Solid Minerals who just resigned his political appointment to run for the governorship position on the platform of the ruling APC).

“I was at the Mega rally of our great party, the People’s Democratic Party in Ekiti to support our governorship candidate, Prof. Kolapo Olusola-Eleka. We know those we are contesting against, they are our regular customers. We will defeat them on the 14th of July, 2018,” he boasted.

Senator Ben Murray-Bruce wondered why police would decide to detain accredited election observers in a country that is governed by democracy and the rule of law. He noted that what such actions do not speak well of the government.

“When police officers start detaining duly accredited observers, you know tough days lie ahead. Two observers were arrested, intimidated and detained in Ado-Ekiti,” he lamented.

Mr. Reno Omokri, ex President Goodluck Jonathan’s spokesman accused the APC of intimidation and shooting innocent persons, wondering if why elections should become war. He said the government should have emulated the Goodluck Jonathan government by PDP by deploying soldiers to the state for the purpose of upholding law and order.

“Watch with your own eyes what the APC is doing in Ekiti State to intimidate the PDP. Yes, President Goodluck Jonathan sent soldiers there in 2014, but it was to uphold law and order. There was no shooting at innocent persons. This is meant to be an election, not a war!” Omokri said.