Ekiti Election Violence: Governor orders police to find killers of man in Ikere

Kehinde Adewole, Ado Ekiti

The Governor of Ekiti State, Kayode Fayemi, has directed the police to find the killers of Mr Dotun Kosedake, who was shot dead during Saturday’s local government elections in the state.

The Governor, in a statement released Sunday night by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr Yinka Oyebode, however, expressed satisfaction with the conduct of the elections.

He congratulated the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidates that were elected chairmen and councillors of all 16 local government councils in the state.

Related: APC clears all 16 chairmanship seats in Ekiti local elections

This followed the official announcement of results of Saturday’s council election by the Ekiti State Independent Electoral Commission (EKSIEC), with the ruling APC winning all contested seats.

The Governor commiserated with the family of Mr Kosedake, who was killed in a fracas at Ikere-Ekiti on the day of the election.

He called on police authorities in the state to get to the root of the incident with a view to bringing the culprits to book.

Fayemi lauded EKSIEC officials under the leadership of Justice Jide Aladejana, saying that the hitch-free nature of the elections was a reflection of their professional conduct.

Fayemi said he was particularly impressed by the generally peaceful atmosphere of the elections, with voters and SIEC officials having acted in an orderly manner.

While congratulating the newly-elected council chiefs, the Governor urged them to see their elections as a call to serve, adding that they cannot afford to disappoint those who voted them in.

He reminded them of his administration’s zero tolerance for corruption and mediocrity, adding that it is no longer business as usual in the councils.

The statement reads:

“I congratulate the people of Ekiti State for demonstrating their peaceful nature and love for democracy during Saturday’s council poll.

“The professionalism of SIEC under the leadership of Justice Jide Aladejana is also commendable.

“I also congratulate and welcome on board all our newly-elected chairmen and councillors.

“I urge them to see their election as a call to serve and should do their best not to disappoint the people that voted for them.

“They should be guided by the fact that our administration has zero tolerance for corruption and it is certainly not going to be business as usual in our councils this time around.

“While the election was largely peaceful, the incident in Ikere was, however, a sour point.

“We commiserate with the family of the deceased, even as I have directed the police in the state to investigate what actually transpired and bring the perpetrators to book.”