Fayemi: Jonathan’s Entreaties To Atiku, Attempt To Divide APC

… Says Jega’s Sack Must Comply With Constitution

Ex-Governor of Ekiti State, Dr Kayode Fayemi yesterday said the alleged surreptitious moves to woo former Vice President Atiku Abubakar back to the Peoples Democratic Party won’t yield any fruitful result.

Fayemi said the attempt was targeted at ripping the opposition All Progressives Congress apart to dim the chances of the APC presidential candidate, Major Gen Muhammadu Buhari during the March 28 elections.

On the fever generated in the polity by the rumoured attempt to sack the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Prof Attahiru Jega, Fayemi said his removal can only be tenable, if done in accordance to the 1999 Constitution.

The former Governor said this on Thursday while appearing on Sunrise Daily, a political programme on Channels Television monitored in Ado Ekiti. He was reacting to the declaration of supports by some groups under the Turaki Vanguard for the presidential candidature of President Jonathan.

Fayemi, who is the Director of Policy, Research and Documentation of the APC Presidential Campaign organization, said Atiku remains a committed leader of the party, whose utmost preoccupation now is how Buhari would win the election.

He said: “Anybody can just pick some people on the street and call them members of Turaki’s group. Though, I am aware of the surreptitious plans to divide us , but wooing Atiku back to PDP will not certainly work because he is committed to this project.

“So, Atiku is still in APC and he has come out boldly to denounce this group. It was a fact that he offered himself to be president but the delegate acted otherwise by voting for Gen Buhari. “I don’t foresee that he will walk away from APC on the basis of this because there is nothing on ground to make him do that. He has remained consistent for Gen. Buhari and he is committed to APC”.

Fayemi said the entire Nigerian populace would query President Jonathan, if he sacks Prof Jega at this critical time, saying such attempt could bring suspicion that would do the country no good. On the mock accreditation conducted by INEC in 12 States to test-run the workability of the card readers, Fayemi advised the Commission to block all loopholes based on the reservations expressed by some critical stakeholders for the outcome of the elections to be acceptable.

He, however, expressed optimism that the card reader would turn out to be a blessing in view of the success recorded in Lagos, which he said was known to be densely populated.

Fayemi add “Our party is not that worried about this card reader thing, but we are only concern3ed about non-delivery of Permanent Voter Cards to some region. “Like in Ogun State, I heard governor Ibikunle Amosun complaining that about 250,000 PVCs are yet to be delivered , this is a peculiar case.

“But it was available in some areas like Ekiti, but people decided not to collect .Though that had been taken to be cases of multiple registration. “So, in the area of collection, INEC cannot be blamed because people may decide not to vote”, Fayemi stated.