All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, has assured the people of Ekiti State of adequate security on July 14 when they will go to polls to elect a new governor.
Fayemi urged eligible voters to come out and exercise their civic rights and not to be intimidated by Governor Ayo Fayose’s alleged threats to cause mayhem on election day.
The APC flag bearer declared that the incumbent governor will be caged on the day of election as he (Fayose) will only be allowed to vote and go back to his house in Afao.
He said: “We will ensure adequate security for voters on election day because if you are not well protected, the election will not be free, far, credible, transparent, genuine and acceptable.
“Fayose cannot threaten or intimidate anybody on the day of election. Fayose will only be allowed to cast his vote and he will go back to his house in Afao.”
Fayemi who spoke on Thursday while on campaign tour to communities in Ido/Osi Local Government Area said he was on a mission to rescue Ekiti people from poverty, misery, bad governance and put the state on the path of good governance, progress and development.
Communities visited by Fayemi include Ifaki, Orin, Ora, Aaye, Ifisin, Igbole, Osi, Ido, Ilogbo, Usi and Ayetoro where more People’s Democratic Party (PDP) leaders and members defected to the APC.
Fayemi was joined at the rallies by the deputy governorship rally, Chief Bisi Egbeyemi; Ekiti APC Chairman, Chief Olajide Awe; former Minister of State for Works, Prince Dayo Adeyeye; former House of Assembly Speaker, Dr. Adewale Omirin; former House of Assembly member, Mrs. Bunmi Oriniowo and a senatorial aspirant, Dr. Olusegun Osinkolu.
He described the July 14 governorship election in Ekiti State as a vote for freedom.
The APC flag bearer said Fayose, his party, PDP, and the candidate, Prof. Kolapo Olusola, have nothing to showcase in those communities in the last three-and-half years noting that the projects being enjoyed by the people were the ones he (Fayemi) executed in his first tenure.
Fayemi said projects like civic centres, health centres, five kilometer community roads, school and hospital renovations are flagship projects that will swing votes in APC’s favour.
He promised that all the human capital development policies like payment of monthly stipends to the aged, free health services, free education, payment of WAEC, NECO, NABTEB and JAMB fees for pupils in public schools will return the movement an APC government takes over in October.
Fayemi also promised more Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) assisted projects, employment through Peace Corps, Ekiti Traffic Management Agency (EKSTMA), return of Core Subject Allowances and Rural Teachers’ Allowances, regular payment of workers’ salaries and pensioners’ benefits.
According to him, a special health intervention programme for Obas and chiefs tagged “Ilera Laafin,” Local Council Development Areas, Volunteer Corps scheme, among others will return.
He also debunked the PDP allegation that he would sack teachers and civil servants noting that workers enjoyed salary increase three times during his first tenure.
Fayemi lampooned Fayose for owing core civil servants, local government workers and teachers between five and nine months salaries expressing regret that no worker had collected salaries meant for this year (2018).
He said it was an act of irresponsibility and insincerity for the governor to be calling himself a friend of civil servants and teachers and still be owing them arrears of salaries despite getting financial reliefs from the Federal Government.
The former Minister of Mines and Steel Development declared that the PDP will meet its waterloo on election day as Ekiti people who had allegedly been deceived will show the umbrella party the way out of the Government House.
He urged party members and voters to go back to their units and work noting that election is not won on the social media but at the polling units.
Fayemi added: “Let’s deal with them (PDP) with our votes, we are going to give them a bloodied nose with our votes on July 14 because Fayemi of today is different from that of yesterday.
“If the PDP people come here, they have nothing to campaign with and that is why they are resorting to lies but they have exhausted their lies.
“Go to your units, vote and protect your votes. Election is not done on Facebook, Twitter or WhatsApp, the votes are at the polling units.
“APC will give a better life to our people, we have done it before and with your support, we will do it again because our legacies are all around the state for everybody to see.”
In almost all the communities visited, hundreds of PDP top members defected to APC citing greed, selfishness and undemocratic conduct of the governor.
At Igbole, Isaac Idowu led the entire Prince Adedayo Adeyeye Movement (PAAM) structure to defect to APC. An appreciative old woman led scores of women to thank Fayemi for providing them succour through payment of monthly social security stipend to stay alive.
At Ifaki, country home of former Governor Segun Oni, who joined Fayemi on campaign trail, the APC’s standard bearer thanked Ifaki people for their unflinching support and pledged that he would ensure the development of the town and welfare of its people.
Mammoth crowds attended rally at Ido-Ekiti where Cyril Fasuyi popularly called the “GOC of Ido/Osi Politics, led who is who in Ido politics to defect to APC.
He described Fayose as a “selfish politician who fraudulently schemed him out of the House of Representatives contest in 2014,” vowing that the governor would pay for his undemocratic and callous conduct to members of his party who worked for his success at poll but “paid them back with evil”.
Fasuyi assured that 27,000 votes in Ido would be delivered to APC and vowed to take Fayose to court for taking Ido Osi allocations and misappropriated them for selfish motives.
All local government and ward executive members defected to APC, with the promise to deliver all the votes in Ido for APC.