Ekiti APC pulls out of Saturday LG poll

The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ekiti state says it will not participate in Saturday local government election.

In a statement on Thursday, Taiwo Olatunbosun, the APC spokesman in the state, said the party is boycotting the election because it has been “compromised”.

“The compromised state Independent Electoral Commission (SIEC) is composed of members who are card-carrying members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) with a mandate to endorse and implement the decisions and directives of Governor Ayodele Fayose and his party,” Olatunbosun said.

He said no democratic institution or political party “will waste its resources and time” to participate in a “compromised” election and under a “lawless administration as exemplified by Fayose.”

He also accused the governor of demonstrating an “extreme recklessness and executive rascality” in the last three years of his government.

“Fayose has constituted himself as an enemy of democracy, rule of law and a electoral process and therefore an institution, such as SIEC under him, is an aberration having been instituted contrary to the provisions of the law of the country, and, unfortunately, Ekiti courts are helpless in calling him to order because of fear of violent attacks,” the statement added.

“Again, the process of the emergence of the so-called candidates of PDP under the supervision of almighty Fayose inside Ekiti tate Government House was patently illegal and unconstitutional, yet SIEC accepted and approved of such undemocratic and illegal conduct, which points to the direction the charade is headed.

“We won’t join this charade because if they could do that to members of their party, then it is instructive for us as an opposition party to know we cannot have a free, fair and credible election, particularly under a caged, compromised and biased umpire.”