The Resident Electoral Commissioner in Ekiti State, Mrs. Ayoka Adebayo, on Monday said only the results of the five local government councils earlier collated and announced at the collation centre were official.
Adebayo, who spoke with one of our correspondents shortly after arriving at the state capital, Ado-Ekiti, said the results of the remaining four local government areas, which had been suspended since Saturday April 25, would be released along with the result of the election of the remaining two wards in Oye Local Government Area scheduled to hold on Tuesday (today).
Adebayo said, “The election was supposed to hold in 10 local government councils. We have announced results of five. We will hold election in Oye tomorrow.
”We have collated the results of the remaining four local government areas which would be announced with the result of Oye election latest by 5pm tomorrow (today), all things being equal.
“The security arrangement is adequate and I will encourage the stakeholders to come to the collation centre and see things for themselves. They have nothing to fear, because this election will be free and fair.”
The REC spoke just as the Federal Government on Monday night asked her to conduct the election according to the provisions of the Electoral Act 2006 and the dictates of her conscience.
Minister of Information and Communications, Prof. Dora Akunyili, in a telephone interview with one of our correspondents, declined to speak on the allegation that Adebayo’s initial resignation was intended to rubbish the electoral reform of President Umaru Yar‘Adua.
Akunyili said, ”Mrs. Adebayo should discharge her duties according to the dictates of her conscience. As a woman, I identify with her situation.
”I understand her fears but Nigerians want her to discharge her duties without fear or favour.”
Adebayo arrived in her office amidst tight security at exactly 2.16pm yesterday in company with some of her relations and security operatives.
She was ushered into her office by a Deputy Inspector-General of Police, Mr. John Ahmadu, and the state‘s Director of the State Security Service, Mrs. Florence Ekanone.
The security operatives did not allow journalists who had been waiting at the INEC office since 8am access to the REC as she was briskly taken to the upper floor of the building.
The REC looked visibly worried as she discussed for about five minutes with one of her relatives in a metallic grey Toyota Prado Sports Utility Vehicle marked Abuja BF 533 KUJ, which brought her, before disembarking.
Sandwiched between the security agents and her relatives, Adebayo kept a straight face while hot exchanges ensued between some journalists and security operatives who kept them at bay.
A few minutes after she arrived, a contingent of more than 50 riot policemen, led by an Assistant Commissioner of Police, Mr. Bello Ahmed, from the force headquarters came to the INEC office as part of the new security arrangement.
Soldiers, who had been deployed in the place since Thursday, were also around to secure the commission‘s office.
Adebayo left the state unannounced on April 26 after announcing results of five, out of the nine local government areas where rerun elections were held on April 25.
She later resigned her appointment as the REC.
She had alleged that the circumstances of the election changed midway into the process.
“My conscience as a Christian cannot allow me to further participate in this process,” she had said as she alleged undue pressure from some quarters to announce results which were not collated according to INEC rules.
She, however, reappeared in Abuja where she declared that she was still “a member of the INEC family.”
Journalists who had hoped for an interview with the REC were disappointed as she made straight for her office, which led to a shouting session with the security operatives.
A cameraman with the Nigerian Television Authority, Gbenga Oladimeji, who engaged the SSS director in an argument, had drawn the ire of one of her subordinates, who slapped him.
Before the assault, one of the security operatives had made an unsuccessful attempt to forcibly seize NTA’s camera from Oladimeji, who protested that he was only doing his job.
A statement by the Public Relations Officer of the commission, Mrs. Bunmi Popoola, however, indicated the preparedness of INEC to hold the twice-rescheduled rerun election in the two disputed wards in Oye.
She warned those who had no business with the rerun to steer clear of Oye between 8am and 3pm when the exercise would hold.
Popoola said that the collation of the pending results of four local government areas: Ekiti East, Ikole, Ekiti West and the contentious Ido-Osi would be done at the Christ Girls High School, Ado-Ekiti.
The INEC had earlier announced the results of Ekiti South-West, Ise-Orun, Irepodun/Ifelodun, Gbonyin and Ijero local government areas where the AC polled 15,026 against PDP‘s 15, 420.
The AC, however, has 11,945–vote advantage, which it secured post-Appeal court judgment.
The arrival of the REC yesterday brought a ray of hope that the stalemate over the election would be over before May 17, when the 90-day period ordered by the Appeal court within which the rerun election must hold.
The Acting Governor, Mr. Olatunji Odeyemi, who took over on February 18, is constitutionally expected to hand over to an elected governor within three months.
Meanwhile, peaceful protests over the election continued on Monday as another group of Ekiti residents took to the streets, warning INEC against subverting the wishes of the electorate.
From Fajuyi Park, where the protest took off, the group of mostly Action Congress members, marched through Okesa, Old Garage, Ijigbo, and back to Fajuyi, singing solidarity songs.
Meanwhile, a top official of INEC in Abuja on Monday disclosed to one of our correspondents that only the REC could invalidate the results of the disputed Ido-Osi Local Government Area of the state, if there was a strong and proven case for dispute.
The source, who pleaded anonymity, said this against the backdrop of speculations that INEC headquarters might have usurped the powers of the REC by claiming the results of the 61 wards where polling had taken place were all ready.
Also, the former Lagos State Governor, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, has commended Yar‘Adua for his stance over the Ekiti election.
He, however, advised the President to follow through with his decision to ensure free and fair election.
Tinubu, in a statement by his Press Secretary, Mr. Olakunle Abimbola, said, ”Those claiming to work for the President should get their briefs right. They should desist from tarnishing his image over tiny Ekiti. No doubt, the President means what he said. He would not deceive Nigerians.”