PDP, Fayose taking panicky measures –Oshiomhole

“We all know that Fayose was rigged into office and this is no secret because the military officers involved have since confessed to the role they played as well as those involved in the dollars that were withdrawn from the NNPC. These are no secrets anymore.  I think that Fayose thinks that the very instrument he used to come to power will be used against him. This is a party of change and so, we are not about to copy the darkest side of the PDP.“

The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Adams Oshiomhole, on Friday accused the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose, of resorting to panicky measure in their desperation to win the July 14 governorship election in the state.

He accused the PDP of intimidating workers in the state to surrender their voter’s cards. Oshiomhole, who spoke at his maiden news briefing at the party national secretariat in Abuja, said the governor has ordered civil servants, teachers and other categories of workers in the state to surrender their Permanent Voters Cards (PVCs), adding that those who refused to surrender their cards had been queried by the government.

He also alleged that the governor has directed lecturers in institutions of higher learning in the state to award free 20 marks to students who vote for his candidate. The ex-Edo State governor said since Fayose has never won a free and fair election, he thinks the same process that brought him to office would be used against him. Oshiomhole said: “I believe that the people of Ekiti State are very much aware of what the issues are. There is no better evidence of how prepared we are than the fact that the PDP is panicking.

“You must have read reports that in clear violation of the electoral act, the Governor Fayose has instructed the civil servants, principals of schools and headmasters to retrieve PVCs from civil servants because he is afraid that the civil servants and the people of Ekiti State will not vote for him and in demonstration of that, they are helping to educate the people on why they should not vote for his candidate.

“He has not paid salaries for one year despite the fact that the federal government gave him bailout which he chose to divert to other uses. So, they are panicking and while we are encouraging people to collect PVC, he is retrieving PVCs.

“We heard that they have started issuing query to workers, including teachers for refusing to surrender their PVCs. I don’t think you need any other evidence that the governor is panicking and we can’t wait to have him swept away in a free and fair election on the basis of one man, one vote, one woman, one vote.

“We all know that Fayose was rigged into office and this is no secret because the military officers involved have since confessed to the role they played as well as those involved in the dollars that were withdrawn from the NNPC. These are no secrets anymore.

“I think that Fayose thinks that the very instrument he used to come to power will be used against him. This is a party of change and so, we are not about to copy the darkest side of the PDP. “