Ekiti boycots LCDA referendum over Fayemi’s insincerity, Says PDP

Posted by African Examiner Latest Headlines, News, Politics Saturday, July 19th, 2014

The Ekiti state branch of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has linked boycott of the referendum conducted by the State Independent Electoral Commission (EKSIEC) on Saturday to insincerity of the outgoing administration of Governor Kayode Fayemi on its build up to creation of Local Council Development Area (LCDAs) in the state.

This allegation was made in a statement issued in Ado Ekiti, the state capital on Saturday, by the state party Publicity Secretary, Pastor Kola Oluwawole and made available to African Examiner.

The statement revealed that out of the 177 wards in Ekiti State, over 100 shun the exercise while those who participated did so under “duress and cohesion” of members of the ruling All Progress Congress (APC).

PDP argued that most of the supposed beneficial communities knew abnitio that the process of creating the LCDAs was shrouded in controversy, owing to the contentious constitutional validity of the exercise.

Besides, Pastor Oluwawole in the statement alleged that the people refused to partake in the referendum as they discovered that the creation of the LCDAs in the twilight of the current administration of the state was a “vengeful mission to set one community against the other for not voting for him”.

The PDP spokesman posited that the lacklustre attitude of the Ekiti people that led to the massive boycott of the Saturday exercise could be linked to the utterance of some notable members of the APC – led state government that Governor Fayemi should deplore power at his disposal to set “political landmine for the incoming administration” and the winner of the recent governorship poll, Dr Ayo Fayose.

The opposition party also attributed that the desertion of the decision exercise was allegedly due to fear of “molestation and attack by hoodlums brought to Ekiti state by the leadership of APC to boost security for the EKSIEC and attack members of any opposition party or community”.

PDP has in the main time linked refusal of the state Chief Judge (CJ), Justice Ayodeji Daramola to assign the case instituted by the party against the creation of LCDAs by the outgoing Governor to his support for Fayemi re-election. The statement alleged the CJ was induced through a proxy with huge sum to rally support for him – Governor Fayemi.