Bamidele accuses Fayemi of flouting INEC law

Mr. Opeyemi Bamidele and Governor Kayode Fayemi

A member of the House of Representatives and governorship aspirant of the Labour Party in Ekiti State, Opeyemi Bamidele, has accused Governor Kayode Fayemi and the All Progressives Congress of breaching the directives of the Independent National Electoral Commission on erection of billboards and posters.

 The INEC Chairman, Prof. Attahiru Jega, during a stakeholders’ meeting in Ado Ekiti, the state capital, had warned aspirants in the state against the pasting of campaign posters and billboards ahead of the lifting of ban on electioneering in Ekiti.

The governorship election in the state is scheduled for June 21 this year.

Bamidele raised questions on why the Fayemi government and his party violated the electoral law.

He told LP members that the election would be peaceful and that the party would obey all the rules but asked the governor to also play according to the rules.

He said, “I assure you that Ekiti 2014 election is going to be a peaceful one. I know INEC is going to do its best; we are a law abiding political party. We have kept to INEC directive on erection of billboards and pasting of posters.

“We have removed all our billboards and posters on the streets but we are surprised that the governor’s posters and billboards are all over the place and nobody is talking about it.

“The governor has continued to paste posters everywhere. The INEC gave 24 hours deadline to all aspirants to remove posters and billboards.

“I want to appeal to our supporters to give peace a chance, we are government in waiting.”

However, the Director of Publicity, Kayode Fayemi Campaign Organisation, Bimbo Daramola, said, “INEC was specific about the kind of posters and billboards that should be removed and those are the ones in which aspirants are asking for votes before the official date to the commencement of campaign. The billboards of Ekiti State Government being referred to are those on the achievements of the Fayemi administration.

“Let it be on record that Fayemi or his campaign organisation has not put out any campaign poster. The governor is law-abiding and understands the provisions of the Electoral Act clearly. The governor has also warned that no one should put up posters in his name until when campaign begins.”