Ekiti State Governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, has assured that his administration is working in collaboration with the relevant security agencies to ensure maintenance of peace before, during and after the June 21 governorship election.
Fayemi who spoke Thursday night during the Yoruba edition of his monthly media chat also counselled the people of the state to be wary of opposition politicians who, out of desperation for power, have resorted to falsehood instead of running issue-based campaign.
He lambasted the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Mr. Ayo Fayose, for resorting to falsehood and playing to the gallery rather than telling the electorate what he would do better if elected.
While admitting that electioneering campaign is already in full swing, the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate assured the people of the state that politics would not affect governance as the machinery of government is still running to meet the needs of the electorate.
Fayemi who thanked God for the relative peace being enjoyed in the state explained that security of lives and property is paramount to him as his administration is working round the clock with relevant security agencies to prevent breakdown of law and order.
Alluding to pockets of violence witnessed in some parts of the state since the commencement if electioneering campaign, Fayemi appealed to politicians not to throw the state into chaos on the altar of their political ambition.
Fayemi said, “As the chief security officer of the state, I will do my best to ensure peace and security of lives and property before, during and after the election.
“We shall collaborate with relevant security agencies to ensure that our state enjoy peace and I want Ekiti to be a reference point on peaceful conduct of election and that is why we must not allow the pursuit of our ambition to cause chaos and breakdown of law and order”.
Reacting to the claim of Fayose that his emergence as the flag bearer of his party has intimidated the APC administration, Fayemi said if the former governor is popular as he is making people to believe he (Fayose) wouldn’t lost woefully in the senatorial election in 2011.
He said, “Some politicians are fond of showmanship, deceit, lies and falsehood some politicians play their own brand of politics with lies.
“You ought to ask him (Fayose) that he contested for a senatorial election some three years ago and lost woefully. Somebody who cannot defeat the candidate of my party in a senatorial district, how can he defeat me when I have the whole state as my constituency.
“In June, there will be election and everybody will hear his own result. This fellow had been in government before and people knew how the state was when he was in power and how the state is now”.
Fayemi also described the former governor’s claim that he (Fayose) he started the payment of monthly stipends to aged people as amusing and laughable saying many citizens of the state who were alive during the regime of the PDP candidate are still alive and cannot be deceived by gimmicks of a political comedian.
The APC standard bearer who went philosophical by saying that “it is only a dishonest person that claims that his witnesses are no longer alive” added that the whole world witnessed the process that led to his administration’s establishment of the social security scheme for the aged which has been widely acknowledged as the first in the whole country.
The governor also dismissed refuted the allegation that the APC administration is closing the political space against opposition parties noting that all parties sponsoring candidates have been going round the state to campaign freely.
On the PDP allegation that the party was disallowed from using the Kayode Stadium in Ado-Ekiti for the flag off of its campaign, Fayemi explained that the stadium was booked for a league matching the day the PDP chose to hold its rally.
While noting that he is not the approving authority on the use of the stadium, Fayemi explained that the stadium is for all Ekiti people irrespective of their affiliations.
Speaking on the issue of erection of billboards, the governor said the immediate past PDP administration passed the Signage Bill into Law adding that if any party abides by the law and pays the appropriate fees, nobody would be stopped from erecting his billboards.
Reacting to a phone call from a listener, Fayemi said he has no plan to sack government workers if re-elected stressing that he had not sacked any worker since he came to office three and half years ago.
The governor explained that there are procedures to discipline any erring worker adding that it is only workers who steal money or involved in any fraud that will face the music.
If re-elected, Fayemi pledged to use his second term in office to consolidate on job creation for the youths, provision of electricity, more water supply to consolidate on the gains of first tenure.
Last modified: May 2, 2014
