…condemns vote-buying, wants culprits prosecuted
By Demola Atobaba, Ado-Ekiti
The candidate of the Action Democratic Party (ADP) in the just concluded gubernatorial election in Ekiti State, Engr Kemi Elebute-Halle has called for the cancellation of the last Saturday please.
She said considering what Ekiti people witnessed during the Saturday June 18 poll, alot need to be done to correct the wrong doings in the system as the country are hoping for a better and glorious future.
“I’m saying it on a good authority that the last Saturday election in Ekiti State should be adequate probe and cancelled outrightly. We need to be told whether it is now a process or business because some people has seen it as business and not a process any more.
Engr Elebute-Halle while speaking with our correspondent in Ado-Ekiti the state capital, observed that the election was full of electoral fraud, vote-buying and inducement of electorates.
“Many of us saw policemen aiding and accompanied them to manipulate Ekiti election results. The election was not free, fair and credible not to talk of acceptability of the results due to the involvement of the security agencies. I told my supporters that no retreat no surrender even before election and I’m still maintaining that stand what come may.”
She affairmed that there is still hope for Ekiti women in the future elections and Nigerian at large if right thing is done by the stakeholders in the country.
While calling on the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC); Professor Mahmood Yakubu, she joined the Social-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) who have earlier gave seven days ultimatum to the commission to gather information about reports of vote-buying, undue influence, intimidation, ballot box snatching, and other electoral offences by the three political parties in the just concluded Ekiti State governorship election.
She said, “Engaging in votes-buying during election period is against the electoral act and also tantamount to our nascient democracy. Those arrested during the poll must be brought to book and prosecuted accordingly.”
According to her, “Vote-buying encourages poor governornance and weakens citizens’ capacity to hold their ‘elected officials’ accountable for their action. I’m not personally happy with the INEC as commission for not up to the task because some of their matchines malfunctioned during the Saturday election exercise.
“I’m always concerned about the well-being of our people especially the less privileged in our society and the development of Ekiti at large and I think I’m doing my best for Ekiti people in the last few years till date and I won’t relent.