Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose, has faulted the directive of the Independent National Electoral Commission that the All Progressives Congress should nominate a fresh candidate for the inconclusive Kogi Governorship Election.
The governor, who accused President Muhammadu Buhari of using the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN) to induce INEC to reach the decision said the action amounted to “amending the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria and the Electoral Act 2010 to advance his ambition and that of his party to turn Nigeria to a one party state.”
The governorship candidate of the APC, Prince Abubakar Audu, died on Sunday after leading his closest rival and incumbent Governor Capt. Idris Wada of the Peoples Democratic Party in a keenly contested governorship poll that was declared inconclusive by INEC.
Fayose in a statement by his Special Assistant on Public Communications and New Media, Lere Olayinka, vowed to use all legal means to fight the “kangaroo decision” noted that “only the Supreme Court can resolve issues not envisaged by the Constitution like the one that happened concerning the Kogi State governorship election.
“INEC further exposed its partisanship by relying on legal advice from the AGF, a man who has disobeyed the court severally and an interested party in the Kogi State election being a personal lawyer of President Buhari and a member of the APC,” he added.
The governor alleged that Buhari and APC took to illegal amendment of the Constitution and the Electoral Act owing to the fear of facing a fresh election as a result of the malpractices perpetrated by the APC in the inconclusive election.
Fayose noted that it was shameful that the first election held by the new INEC Chairman, Prof Mahmood Yakubu, ended in controversy.
He added that the manipulation of the Kogi State election and INEC’s illegal position on the substitution of APC candidate was a vindication of his earlier position that the INEC chairman was appointed just to do the biddings of the President and his party.
“Having manipulated the election substantially, what they plotted by covering up Audu’s death for hours against Islamic injunction, was to declare a dead candidate as elected governor of Kogi State so as to pave the way for the emergence of his running mate as the governor-elect.
“If all noble men should keep silent and get cowed by this rampaging beast that is ready to consume democracy and rule of law in Nigeria, ordinary Nigerians will sooner than later end up in the belly of the beast.”
Fayose said he was aware of the various sinister plots against him by those he said were plotting to turn Nigeria to a one party state, but declared that “the Lord will consume anyone plotting against me as He has always done.”
The governor said only two options were available to INEC on the Kogi State election crisis.
“INEC should either conclude the election with APC not having a candidate or hold a fresh election with APC nominating a new governorship candidate. Anything outside these two options will mean that the Supreme Court must intervene.
Punch.
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