Allegation of rigging: Fayose is afraid of his shadows, says Fayemi

Former governor of Ekiti State and candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2018 governorship election taking place coming Saturday, Dr. Kayode Fayemi has said that Governor Ayo Fayose’s false alarm about non-existent plot by the Federal Government to rig the election is as a result of guilty conscience.

Fayemi who was Minister in charge of Mines and Steel before declaring for the coming election also told Daily Times in an exclusive interview Monday that he does not need Federal might to defeat Fayose and his Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, candidate on Saturday because the people of Ekiti State have made it clear that they are tired of lies and semantics of the incumbent state government and therefore ready to flush them out through their votes.

According to Fayemi who spoke though his Special Assistant on Media, Olayinka Oyebode, Fayose is being hunted by the gross electoral impunity committed PDP the led Federal in the 2014 Ekiti State election in favour of Fayose which accounts for the reason why he is afraid and therefore raising false alarm.

“There is no plan by anybody to rig the coming election in favour of Dr. Fayemi because there is no reason to contemplate that. The people of Ekiti state have decided that enough is enough for lies and empty promises that have characterised Fayose’s administration. It is the people that he should be afraid of because of the hardship his administration has brought to them.

“What is speaking in favour of Dr. Fayemi are the many laudable and visible infrastructures and human capital that his administration invested in when he earlier served as governor of the state. Fayemi’s projects are still on ground for people to see including roads, hospitals, schools and cottage industries, among others.

Dr. Fayemi invested heavily in massive reduction of poverty through social security networks like youth volunteers, stipend for the elderly, youth in commercial agriculture, comprehensive community development programmes as well as community governance,” he said.

He said that Fayose on the other hand has been deceiving the people by claiming he was a grassroots leader while starving them through non payment of salaries and pensions.

“While Fayemi ensured that development reached every community in Ekiti State when he served as governor, Fayose has only concentrated the few things he has done in only the state capital because he wants people to see them. As we speak, no civil servant in Ekiti has received salary this year.

The last salary they received was in October 2017, the same with pension and gratuity. Pensioners are being owed up to 10months arrears. There is no light in most communities when what you need to provide transformer is about N2million.

“As I speak with you Fayose has wrecked the economy of Ekiti state because most of the economic policies put in place by Dr. Fayemi have been cancelled by Fayose including those on free education, water, ecological control, agriculture and tourism which has led to the abandonment of the famous Ikogosi water and others,” he stated.

Speaking on the deployment of 30,000 policemen and other security measures for the election, Oyebode said it was not a new development as the Police have always deployed large number of officers and men to cover state election to secure lives and property as well as electoral materials, adding that any law abiding citizen would welcome any measure put in place to prevent violence and rancour.

On why some people are still listening to Fayose and following him, Oyebode said because of his unending promises, people are eager to hear Fayose speak expecting to hear if their salaries, pensions and other benefits are to be paid, adding that such expectations end up with dashed hopes.

“The governor owes salaries since November 2017. So any time they hear that he is passing or speaking, they want to hear when their salaries and pensions will be paid. Fayose will make promises to pay and then renege. It is quite a tragedy that will by God’s grace end through the coming election,” he concluded.