Ekiti: The people’s will must prevail — Adebanjo

Afenifere chieftain, Chief Ayo Adebanjo, says anything short of credible conduct of the Ekiti governorship election on Saturday would not be acceptable.

The nonagenarian spoke in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Friday in Lagos.

Adebanjo appealed to stakeholders that the people’s will must be allowed to prevail in the election in order to strengthen democracy.

He said that voters should not be intimidated under whatever guise, and every vote must count.

“We demand nothing short of a free and fair election in Ekiti and we urge INEC and other stakeholders to ensure that.

“There should not be intimidation of voters, there should not be manipulation of votes.

“The process should be fair and transparent. The people must be allowed to choose,” the chieftain of the Yoruba socio-cultural group said.

He urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and other stakeholders to ensure free and fair election, as the focus of all champions of democracy was on Ekiti.

Adebanjo condemned what he called the manhandling of Gov. Ayodele Fayose by policemen in Ekiti on Wednesday.

He said the incident was an embarrassment to the nation and a threat to democracy.

The chieftain said that if a sitting could be so treated by security operatives, then there was little hope for respect of the rights of ordinary citizens.

He said that such action was not good for the credibility of the election.