Fayemi, APC Concede Defeat

►PDP claim Ekiti State Successfully.
►APC congratulated Mr. Ayo Fayose Victory.

In a rare show of sportsmanship, the Ekiti State Governor and the candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, on Sunday congratulated Mr. Ayo Fayose of the Peoples Democratic Party for winning Saturday’s governorship election in the state.

Another governorship candidate, Mr. Opeyemi Bamidele, of the Labour Party, President Goodluck Jonathan and the PDP also felicitated with Fayose for emerging victorious.

Barely hours after Fayemi’s acceptance of defeat, the APC, through its National Publicity Secretary, Lai Mohammed, said the governor had spoken the party’s mind.

Before Mohammed spoke, the PDP had thrown a jab at the APC by asking it to accept the defeat and congratulate Fayose.

Fayemi had in a broadcast in Ado-Ekiti on Sunday   said he had no choice but to accept the results of the June 21 election and congratulate the governor-elect “if indeed the outcome of the election is the will of the Ekiti people.”

The governor, who revealed that he had spoken with Fayose before the broadcast promised to see him later in the day.

Fayose   has already extended hands of fellowship to the governor and Bamidele. He also said at a news conference that he would see the governor on Monday(today).

Fayemi in his broadcast said, “If indeed this is the will of the Ekiti People, I stand in deference to your will. If the result of the elections is an expression of the voice of our people, we must all heed your voice.

“I have just spoken with my brother, Mr. Peter Ayodele Fayose, congratulating him on his victory. In a few hours from now, I would be meeting the governor-elect to discuss the future of our dear state and how we would work together to institute a smooth transition programme.”

The governor, who admitted that the election was “ hard fought” appealed to the people of the state to see themselves as brothers.

He said, “As expected, in the course of the campaigns, there were unsavory episodes as the candidates toured all the nooks and crannies of the state to sell ourselves to the people.

“Elections tend to be highly divisive affairs that often see a brother rising against his brother. Despite our diverse party affiliations, and regardless of which way we voted on Saturday, we must remember that we are all sons and daughters of Ekiti State. Ekiti is ours to build together.”

Fayemi said the achievements of his government would be a reference point in setting governance standard in the state.

He thanked the people for their support, saying he had kept faith with them.

The governor added, “On our part, over the course of the campaigns, we presented our scorecards before the people of Ekiti State. We never at any point took your support for granted. We campaigned, we canvassed and we traversed the nooks and crannies of this state.

“Our performance and achievements in office will remain the backdrop against which the next government and indeed future governments will be assessed. We are proud that with the support of Ekiti people, we have raised the bar of excellence in governance. In all, we gave our best, for conscience and for posterity.

“Indeed a new sociology of the Ekiti people may have evolved. However, the task of understanding how the outcome of this election has defined us as a people will be that of scholars. For us as an administration and a cadre of political leaders in Ekiti State, we have fought a good fight, we have kept faith.”

Fayemi thanked his campiagn team, supporters and the people for their “exemplary courage and doggedness in the face of harassment” by coming out to vote in spite of the high security presence.

He said, “To members of our party, our campaign team and indeed all Ekiti people who defied the siege to our state to cast their votes for our party, I salute your exemplary courage and doggedness in the face of harassment.

“Thank you for staying the course. The incidences of brazen harassment, intimidation and allied infractions on fundamental human rights, which many of you suffered in the hands of agents of the state, would be documented and communicated to the appropriate authorities for the records.”

Bamidele hails Ekiti people

In his own message, Bamidele expressed appreciation to the people for their supports during the election, saying he saw it “as a true reflection of a true democracy.”

In a statement by his media aide, Ahmed Salami, the LP candidate hailed INEC and the security agencies for allowing the people to be involved in the   democratic process.

He specifically thanked his kinsmen in Iyin Ekiti   for staying by him through his campaign rallies and the election.

Bamidele said their support was attributable to the tremendous spread and acceptability of the LP across the state despite being introduced to them   less than five months ago.

Jonathan asks Fayose to form all inclusive govt

In Abuja,   Jonathan advised Fayose to be humble and magnanimous in victory and commit himself to forming an administration that would work for the advancement of the   people.

In his congratulatory message, the President also lauded INEC, security agencies and the people of Ekiti State for the   peaceful conduct of the election.

The message   was contained in a statement by his Special Adviser   on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati.

The President said the conduct of the poll was in keeping with his administration’s commitment to ensuring that elections   were progressively freer, fairer and more credible.

The statement reads, “President Jonathan calls on Mr. Fayose to regard his second chance to serve as governor of Ekiti State as a sacred mandate from God   and his people which he must discharge with immense dedication, wisdom and vigour.

“The President assures Mr. Fayose that the Federal Government will give all necessary support and assistance to his administration and cooperate fully with him in furtherance of the present administration’s objective of significantly improving the living conditions of Nigerians in all parts of the country.

“He wishes Mr. Fayose continued good health and a very successful second tenure as governor of Ekiti State.”

Emulate us by congratulating gov-elect-PDP

Also, the PDP described Fayose’s   victory   as well-deserved.

It said in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Olisa Metuh,   that the   poll was credible, free and fair.

The statement read, “We are particularly elated that the will of the people of Ekiti State prevailed and we sincerely congratulate them for realising their yearning for a truly democratically elected administration in their dear state.

“The outcome of this election confirms the popularity and acceptability of the PDP and its candidate, the governor-elect of Ekiti State.

“It brings to the front burner, the genuineness of the crowd that throng our rallies across the country, especially in Ekiti state. ”

It also attributed the victory to the PDP’s   “strict adherence to the principles of internal democracy, the kernel of transparency in the conduct of our governorship primary which produced a popular candidate, the overwhelming choice of party members.”

The party added that the victory was also a clear confirmation of its position that the APC was not really on the ground and had no genuine followership even in states that are under its control.

While thanking the people of the state for their support, the PDP urged the governor- elect to ensure an all-inclusive administration that   would revamp and reposition the state in line with its manifesto and ideology   and move it “from the APC’s valleys of poverty, stagnation and ruin.”

The PDP charged the APC to imbibe the spirit of sportsmanship by accepting defeat and congratulating the PDP and the governor-elect.

“We demand of the APC, the sportsmanship required of democrats in an electoral contest by congratulating the victorious candidate just as we did in Edo State where it won and in Ondo and Anambra states where LPand APGA(defunct All Progressives Grand Alliance) won respectively   instead of taking to incitement and bad loser syndrome.”

Metuh later told The PUNCH   in an interview that the PDP was happy with Ekiti people for supporting its candidate .

When asked to comment on Fayemi’s broadcast,he said , “For now we want to enjoy our hard earned victory. We will go back to politics mid-week.”

He added, “Most important is the fact the President has shown that that all he wants is free and fair elections.

“We want to savour our victory. We have dedicated it to the people of Ekiti; to the President for ensuring a free and fair election and for our national chairman for ensuring that the party had transparent primaries.”

APC concedes defeat

As if it was listening to the PDP challenge, the APC spokesman, Mohammed, said   the party had   admitted that the election was free and fair and that the result reflected the wishes of Ekiti people.

Excerpt of a brief telephone interview with its spokesman and one of our correspondents:

What is the position on the APC on the outcome of the Ekiti governorship election, considering the fact that Governor Fayemi just conceded defeat?

“We absolutely accept the outcome of the Ekiti election. We are democratic. We said if an election is free and fair, and the outcome is the wish of the people, we will accept it.

“That is what the governor has done and of course the governor couldn’t have made such statement without consulting with the party leadership. What he said is the position of the party leadership.”

When our correspondent sent an SMS to him asking if the APC would not go to a tribunal or court to contest the results of the election, he did not respond as of 8.42pm.

Mohammed however said   the arrest   of some APC leaders in Ekiti State prior the election would be addressed separately.

We almost didn’t field Fayose   – Mu’azu

The PDP National Chairman , Alhaji Adamu Muazu, on Sunday said   Fayose would not have been   the party’s candidate   if “the Nigerian factor” was considered.

Mu’azu , who led Vice-President Namadi Sambo and members of the party’s National Executive Committee,   to pay a congratulatory visit to   Jonathan, however did not explain what “the Nigerian factor” is.

He recalled that following Fayose’s emergence as the party’s candidate, many groups reported him to the President for allegedly making a wrong choice.

The PDP boss however commended the President for standing by him in his decision.

He said, “You (the President) has been patient with me especially on the PDP palaver. You gave me the freedom to get a very reliable candidate. I want to thank you.

“Fayose ordinarily, if the Nigerian factor comes in, will never have been our candidate but you and I know that even after he emerged, some   groups came to you to report me that I have made the wrong choice.

“More often, when they come to the (Presidential)Villa, Mr. President will insist that I must be there. I have seen the same people, I have appealed to them.

“Mr. President will still insist that I must hear and listen, at the end of the day, the truth has prevailed with the support of Mr. President.

“Without getting our first 11 with the President’s support and encouragement, we would not have been celebrating today. “

Mu’azu said Ekiti and Osun states belonged to the PDP but the party was robbed of the states.

He said the party had been patient and prayerful, saying that the same God who returned Ekiti will return Osun to the party.

The   party chairman added, “We all know that both Osun and Ekiti states are PDP states. We have been robbed of them through the process we all know. We have accepted it as law-abiding people and we have been patient and prayerful.

“God the Almighty has returned Ekiti to us. By His special grace, He will also return Osun and many more states.”

He also congratulated   Fayemi for appreciating and accepting the will of the people, who in the first place, brought him to power.

Jonathan said the victory was an indication that Mu’azu who he described as the game changer would change many other things.

He said he was particularly happy that the election result was free and fair because nobody was killed nor any property vandalised after the result was released.

Also in Abuja, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr. Aminu Tambuwal, hailed Fayose for winning the poll and the incumbent governor   for conceding defeat.

“The governor’s action to congratulate his opponent was a clear proof that our politics is imbibing standard global practice associated with electioneering process”, he said in a statement by his Special Adviser, Media, Mr. Imam Imam.