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From Priscilla Ediare, Ado-Ekiti
Coalition of Observers group, that monitored the June 18 governorship election in Ekiti State, has appealed to other contenders who were defeated in the contest to accept the outcome of the election and embrace the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and winner, Hon Biodun Oyebanji, to take the state together to greater heights.
Adjudging the Saturday poll as free, fair and credible, the Coalition specially appealed to the candidates of the Social Democratic Party(SDP), Chief Segun Oni, who had threatened lawsuit against the outcome and the candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Hon Bisi Kolawole to give peace a chance and support the winner, though, the PDP candidate had on Sunday congratulated Oyebanji.
A communique issued, on Tuesday, in Ado Ekiti, by the leader of the Coalition, Com. Victor Kalu, praised the Independent National Electoral Commission and security agencies for their neutrality during the election.
The communique read during a press conference addressed by Kalu appealed to Nigerians to always vote according to their conscience, alluding to this as the best panacea against vote trading on election day.
Kalu said: “We, the accredited civil society election observers for the just concluded Ekiti Governorship election therefore adjudge the election to be free, fair, credible and transparent.
“The exercise met required international standard for credible democratic election. The result should therefore be accepted by all as a true reflection of the will of Ekiti people.
“Since INEC had announced a clear winner, the rest of the candidates should see themselves as co-winners and toe the path of peace by congratulating the clear winner for the good and progress of the state”.
Saluting the INEC and security agencies for displaying professionalism, Kalu said: “We observed during monitoring that the security agencies and INEC were duty conscious and performed their jobs dispassionately without fear or favour.
“They indeed saw the election duty as a national assignment and acted accordingly.
“To improve our electoral process, INEC and political parties and other stakeholders especially the civil society groups should engage in civil voter education and mobilisation before election and encourage impressive voter participation during elections”.
On how to tackle the much vilified vote trading that allegedly pervaded the poll, Kalu said: “We have a law that prohibited vote buying. People should participate in election with their conscience and not through financial inducement.
“Voters are partners in making the expected electoral process credible”, Kalu stated.
Speaking about the shortfall in the voting materials for People living With Disabilities (PWDs) during the poll, Kalu noted: “The PWDs are important people. There is no special polling units created for them, INEC must make adequate provisions for them to participate in electoral process.
“The commission should be able to get their required numbers during registration and this can serve as a guide for INEC to know their locations and numbers per unit and ward during distribution of materials”, he said.
