An observer group, Centre for Citizens with Disabilities, said the July 14 governorship election in Ekiti state was “free, fair and credible.“
The CCD Executive Director, Mr David Anyaele, who said this at a news conference in Ado-Ekiti on Monday, said there was no evidence of rigging in the final result as released by the Independent National Electoral Commission.
He said,
“The outcome of the election reflects the will of the people, our members on the ground reported that INEC deployed logistics early and the turnout was massive in spite the fear in several voters.
”For now, we cannot point to any evidence of rigging. What is just going on is more of misinformation by some politicians and their agents, who are all over on the social media,” he said.
The executive director, however, decried the treatment meted out to people with disabilities sent out to monitor the election.
He said CCD deployed 44 observers, 98 per cent of whom were persons with disabilities to monitor the exercise in the 3 senatorial districts of the state.
According to Anyaele,the observer group also used statistical principles, Information and Communication Technology (ICT) to observe the election.
The CCD boss said the findings of the group across the monitored polling units indicated that there was need for improvement on preparedness by INEC for People With Disabilities (PWDs) in future elections.
He stressed the need for such an improvement, particularly for the visually impaired (the blind), hearing impaired and the physically challenged.
Anyaele also called on INEC to ensure that more polling units were located in an open space where PWDs could have free and unhindered access to exercise their civic responsibility.
According to him, extra effort by the electoral body will also ensure adequate provisions that will enable the participation of voters with different forms of disabilities.
Anyaele, who advised the people of the state to eschew violence, called on the aggrieved with the election outcome to seek redress in the law court.
”I think fundamentally, anyone who is not happy with the results of the election should feel free to approach the court of law as the last resort. Resorting to violence is not of use to any of us and our nation.”
CCD was one of the many Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) in collaboration with the Joint National Association of Persons with Disabilities, (JONAPWD) accredited by INEC to monitor the election.
Former Minister of Mines and Solid Minerals Development and candidate of the All Progressives Congress Dr Kayode Fayemi won the election with 197,459 votes.
He defeated the Peoples Democratic Party candidate and the Deputy Governor of the state, Prof. Kolapo Olusola who scored 178,121 votes among others.
The Chief Returning Officer for the election, Prof. Idowu Olayinka declared the results in Ado-Ekiti.
The election held in 2,195 polling units spread across 177 wards in the 16 local government areas of the state with 35 candidates as contestants.
(NAN)
