2015 polls: Fayose, other Ekiti politicians sign peace pact

Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose has said that the use of the military and Police to win elections is no longer fashionable in Nigeria,

stat­ing that politicians relying on such would be disap­pointed in the forthcoming general elections.

He made this submission yesterday when political parties in the state signed a peace pact in preparation for the 2015 general elections.

Fayose assured the opposi­tion parties that he would not use his office to muzzle them in the forthcoming elections, adding that he would allow the wishes of the people to prevail as they did to him in the June 21 governorship election.

The parties pledged to shun violence during the polls.

The peace pact was at the instance of the Police and the Independent National Elec­toral Commission, led by the Resident Electoral Com­mission in the state, Mr Sam Olumekun.

The Assistant Inspector General of Police, Zone 8, Mr Christopher Dega and the Commissioner of Police in Ekiti, Mr Taiwo Lakanu, said the peace pact became imperative in order to allay the fears in some quarters that there would be violence during the forthcoming polls.

Addressing the gathering, Fayose said: “Whatever con­nection you have with the police can’t help you in this election. The only thing that can help you is your con­nection with the people. My election had actually con­firmed this.

“I am ready to submit myself to the law. I have no reason to muzzle anybody because whether you muzzle the opposition or not, what God will do, He will do. So, I am assuring the main oppo­sition party, APC that their members won’t be muzzled or victimized in the course of these elections.

“As the governor, I repre­sent the face of the state and I have to be magnanimous in victory by protecting ev­erybody, regardless of your political beliefs.

“So, I want to thank the Police, because it is good to get us committed. For any programme to work, the leader must key into such programme. I am assuring you that I will key into this programme and ensure that peace prevails in Ekiti.”

Dega, who warned against political thuggery , urged politicians to play by the rules and to curtail their overzealous supporters for Ekiti to be in peace.

The AIG said: “These ef­fort is to allay the fears in the state to forestall anxiety and violence. We believe there is need to emphasize non-vio­lence in the course of these elections and the commit­ment we are extracting from you today must be protected for the state to be safe for all of us.”

The State Resident Elec­toral Commissioner said a total of 2,253 smart card readers had been deployed to Ekiti to ensure that all eli­gible voters were scrutinized and authenticated before vot­ing.

Olumekun added that a total of 498, 598 Permanent Voter Cards had been dis­tributed out of the 732, 021 total registered voters in the state, which accounted for about 70 percent.

He lamented that elec­tions had consistently been marred by irregularities since 1922, when the first election was conducted in the country.