Inec declares Fayemi the winner of Ekiti governorship elections as Fayose's reaction is awaited

FORMER solid minerals minister Dr Kayode Fayemi has been declared the winner of yesterday's Ekiti State governorship election by the Independent National Electoral Commission (Inec) with 197,459 votes to that of 178,121 secured by his nearest rival.

Dr Fayemi, who served as governor between 2010 and 2014 before losing to the incumbent Governor Ayo Fayose, managed to regain the state for the All Progressives Congress (APC). Current deputy governor Professor Kolapo Olusola Eleka, who stood on behalf of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), currently governing the state and who was backed by Governor Fayose, could not manage to catapult himself back into power.

After a very bitter, acrimonious and rancorous campaign in which Governor Fayose accused the APC of planning to right, using the security forces against his supporters and of physically assaulting him, voting was by and large peaceful yesterday. Following the count, Inec declared that Dr Fayemi won in 12 of Ekiti State's 16 local government areas, with the PDP only emerging victorious in Ikere-Ekiti, Emure, Efon and Ado-Ekiti.

In contrast, Dr Fayemi won in Ilejemeje, Irepodun/Ifelodun, Ido-Osi, Oye, Moba, Ijero, Gboyin, Ekiti West, Ikole, Ise Orun, Ekiti East and Ekiti South West local government areas. This morning, Professor Idowu Olayinka, the chief returning officer for the election, declared Dr Fayemi the winner in the state capital; Ado-Ekiti.

Both parties were accused of trying to bribe voters by offering them cash handouts and food items with the APC accused of dishing out N4,000  and the PDP offering N7,000 to individuals. Heating up the atmosphere more, the Ekiti Broadcast Service became the first casualty of the illegal circulation of results after it was shut indefinitely yesterday by the National Broadcasting Commission for breaching the provisions of Nigeria's Broadcasting Code (NBC) by allowing Governor Fayose to declare election results before Inec announced them.

An NBC spokesman said: "The commission has taken the decision to curb the continued breach of the Electoral Act and the Broadcasting Code on Political Broadcast. The commission is particularly irked by the unauthorised declaration of results by the state governor in the state broadcast station.

“This is after he went on air to make malicious and unsubstantiated comments against Inec, the police and the State Security Services. The station will remain shut down until further notice.”

Governor Fayose had lambasted the security agencies for allegedly supervising vote buying and ballot snatching in some wards in Ado Ekiti and Ikole. It is not yet clear now if Governor Fayose and the PDP will accept the election results as an official reaction to Inec's announcement is still being awaited.