The All Progressives Congress (APC) has raised the alarm over the role of the military in Saturday’s governorship election in Ekiti State, following the arrest of APC leaders by soldiers on the eve of the election.
In a statement issued in Lagos on Saturday by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party said armed soldiers arrested the Director-General of the Fayemi Campaign Organization, Hon. Bimbo Daramola, and the state Commissioner for Finance, Mr. Dapo Kolawole, on the eve of the poll.
It said both Daramola and Kolawole were arrested in their country homes in Ire and Iloro respectively, and that their whereabouts remain unknown as at the time of this report.
”The role being played by the military in the Ekiti elections gives reason for concern, because an institution that is supposed to unite Nigerians has descended into the area of partisan politics and it is now seriously undermining democracy,” APC said.
”Whoever the misguided soldiers in Ekiti are working for, they should know that their actions can only destroy the nation’s democracy. We therefore call on the military hierarchy to defend the integrity of the institution by calling the partisan soldiers in Ekiti to order before it is too late. The consequences of a rigged election in Ekiti will reverberate far beyond the state,” the party said.
It reiterated its earlier warning that the APC will not accept the outcome of an election in which the military and other security agencies skewed the whole process in favour of a certain candidate, to the detriment of others.
”The APC seeks no favour from any individual or institution for Saturday’s elections. What we demand is a level playing field for all the candidates, and a conducive atmosphere for the people of Ekiti to cast their votes without harassment or intimidation,” APC said.
Alhaji Lai Mohammed
National Publicity Secretary
All Progressives Congress (APC)
Lagos, June 21st 2014
