#EkitiGate: Again, APC Writes Justice Minister, Demands Review Of Ekiti Guber Poll

The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ekiti State has for the third time petitioned the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami (SAN), asking him to review June 21, 2014 governorship election and prosecute suspects in the alleged"criminal" manipulation of the electoral process that returned the candidate of the People's Democratic Party (PDP), Ayodele Fayose, as the governor of Ekiti State.

In a petition signed by the state chairman, High Chief Jide Awe was entitled "Request for the prosecution of persons involved in conspiring and perpetrating acts of electoral fraud and malfeasance in the governorship election of June 21, 2014 in a manner other than that envisaged by the relevant provisions of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 as amended," the party said the review of the matter had become imperative in national interest to avoid a cycle of politicians that could seize the reins of government through treason.

According to the petition by the State Chairman of APC, Olajide Awe, the party said its present petition arose from the recent confessions on Channels television by the State Secretary of PDP in Ekiti State, Dr Temitope Aluko, published and broadcast on other electric and print media.Aluko had spilled the beans two weeks ago, alleging that Fayose gave Ekiti State INEC officials N1b to compromise its staff without the knowledge of former INEC Chairman, Prof Attahiru Jega, including naming all the personalities and institutions involved in the election scam that had drawn commentaries in the local and international media calling for justice in Ekiti State.

Eminent Nigerians had also questioned the rationality of allowing immunity and time frame in the prosecution of electoral crimes, particularly treasonable offence, to stand on the way of justice and credibility of democratic practice in Nigeria.In APC's petition, the party referred to the earlier two petitions dated February 13, 2015, 

November 23, 2015 on the same subject matter, saying that by the latest confessions by one of the principal participants in the election heist, "we are compelled to write this reminder to draw your attention to the urgent need to address the matter to ensure justice in what has turned a blight on the nation's practice of democracy through treasonable actions that denied the votes of Ekiti people".

The party listed alleged infractions to to the letters of extant provisions of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

According to Awe, the infractions include:• unusual militarisation before, during and after the election that created fears and heightened the level of insecurity to the electorate throughout Ekiti State. 

• INEC's compromise of the election by the principal beneficiary as contained in the Ekitigate audio tape, to wit: Fayose admitting getting INEC soft copies of sensitive materials that he said he printed for the election and collation of election results at Efon-Alaaye on June 19, 2014 (two days before the actual election) as revealed by Fayose in the audio tape; 

• The role of the Presidencyin laundering billions of naira to manipulate the election as revealedby the principal participant in the election fraud, Dr Aluko, and official volte-face instruction to security apparatchik by the Federal Government to deliver Ekiti to PDP at all costs; and

• The involvement of PDP stalwarts across the country in the manipulation of the election, notably Senator Iyiola Omisore, Musiliu Obanikoro, Jelili Adesiyan, Chris Ubah and Hon Abdulrahman, among others as revealed in the Ekitigate tape.

The party demanded comprehensive investigation of all events and actions that precipitated the electoral heist and prosecution of all alleged and culpable culprits, both individuals and institutions, including INEC, in the election fraud saga.

Noting that Ekitigate scandal is an unprecedented electoral crime oftreason that must be addressed in an unprecedented manner, Awe added that in the spirit of the change agenda of President Muhammadu Buhari and in view of the new anti-corruption crusade that frowns at allowing criminals to enjoy the fruits of their crimes, the matter must be addressed in a manner that would not allow criminals to go away with their crimes."

We view Ekitigate as an extra-ordinary shame of a nation, which is unprecedented in the annals of our electoral history.

"We unequivocally believe that this should elicit extra-ordinary remedy so that the cause of justice, fair-play and pre-eminence of Nigerian Constitution are not permanently perverted and to act as deterrent to a repeat of such," the petition reads.

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