The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ekiti State on Sunday berated the State Governor, Ayodele Fayose, over his opposition to the establishment of election crimes tribunals by the Independent National Election Commission (INEC).
Ekiti State APC Publicity Secretary, Taiwo Olatunbosun, said the tribunals and prosecution of individuals involved in electoral frauds have become necessary to stem the rising rate of the crime in the country.
Fayose had last week criticised the proposal by INEC to establish tribunals to prosecute individuals involved in fraudulent practices and violence during elections.
The governor objected to the proposal, saying that it was a ploy by the Federal Government to appoint cronies into such courts to manipulation the judges to give favourable judgments to the ruling party.
“The Federal Government will manipulate the federal institutions, such as the Police, Army, Department of State Service and INEC officials to implicate members of the opposition in such election crimes courts,” Fayose had stated.
In his reaction, the APC spokesman in Ekiti said Fayose was afraid of his own shadow as an active participant in electoral fraud and violence.
Olatunbosun said, “The governor is a lone voice in the opposition to poll crime court because of the circumstances through which he won his election.
“We are not surprised that Fayose is afraid of election crimes court because he knows how he emerged as the governor. He is afraid to face the court because he can never win any election without committing fraud and attacking the opposition.”
He disclosed that the United States had already delivered its judgment on Fayose over his alleged $81m fraud in Ekiti State, political killings and election fraud by imposing travel ban on him and members of his family.
“Fayose’s electoral fraud manifested in the use of the Army, Police and DSS personnel by the Peoples Democratic Party-led Federal Government to help him win his election while Fayose himself said in Captain Sagir Koli’s secretly recorded tape that INEC gave him sensitive soft copies that he printed to win his election.
“Some of the officers in the Army have lost their jobs over Fayose-induced election crime. It is because of people like Fayose that INEC is calling for the election crime court proposal, yet this is the same man that is afraid that these same federal institutions would be manipulated in favour of the ruling party just because he knows that they were manipulated in his favour to win his election by the PDP-led Federal Government. What hypocrisy and lack of integrity,” the party stated.
He added that APC was in support of the establishment of the electoral crimes courts to ensure transparency in election conduct and punish electoral offenders.
The APC spokesman noted that the United States travel ban on Fayose and members of his family was a pointer to the governor that he would have no hiding place over electoral frauds committed.
Ayomikun David
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