July 15, 2018

The Federal Government says the victory of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the just concluded Ekiti governorship election is a verdict on the performance of the President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration.

The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed who disclosed this at a media briefing on Sunday in Lagos, said the election was “a referendum and Nigerians have given their verdict’’.

“With the victory of the APC in the election, Nigeria people have spoken, and they have spoken loudly, about their perception of the APC-led Buhari administration.

“The election was more than one state’s gubernatorial poll.

“It was a referendum on the performance of the Buhari administration. And Nigerians have given their verdict.

“Its not just a defeat for the PDP, its a defeat for all the naysayers who have made themselves the spokespersons for Nigerians,’’ he said.

The minister added that the APC’s victory at the governorship poll “is a death knell for fake news’’.

He explained that anyone who monitored the social media before and during the election would think it would be a landslide for the PDP, but the reality was different.

“We want to most sincerely thank the people of Ekiti state for ensuring that the election was free, fair and credible.

“This was attested to by local and international observers.

“We also thank the Ekiti people for turning out en masse to exercise their franchise,’’ he said.

Mohammed recalled that in 2014, the votes of the people of Ekiti did not count because the then PDP-led Federal Government used federal might to hijack the election and concoct the result.

He said that the then ruling party barred two serving opposition governors from travelling to Ekiti to support their fellow governor.

“They wilfully shut the Akure airport and we, leaders of the opposition APC then, were forced to return to Lagos by road in the night.

“With the roles reversed in 2018, we did not pay the PDP back in its own coin, because of our strong belief in the rule of law. The rest is history,’’ he said.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared Dr Kayode Fayemi, the APC candidate as the winner of the Ekiti governorship election.

INEC Returning Officer, Prof. Idowu Olayinka who announced the results said the APC candidate won with 197,459 votes as against Prof. Kolapo Olusola of PDP with 178,121 votes.