Buhari Promoting Anarchy Over Kogi Rerun – Fayose

EKITI State Governor, Mr Ayodele Fayose, has accused President
Muhammadu Buhari of encouraging anarchy by allegedly using his
personal lawyer and member of All Progressives Congress (APC), who is
the Attorney- General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice,
Abubakar Malami (SAN), to influence the decision of the Independent
National Electoral Commission (INEC) on the inconclusive Kogi State
governorship poll.

He accused the President of "fraudulently using the AGF to carry out
an act which amounted to amending the 1999 Constitution and the
Electoral Act 2010 to advance his ambition and that of his party to
turn Nigeria to a one party state."

In a statement issued by his Special Assistant on Pub­lic
Communications and New Media, Lere Olayinka, the governor, who vowed
to use all legal means to fight the "kangaroo" decision, noted that
"only the Supreme Court can resolve issues not envisaged by the
Constitution like the one that happened concerning the Kogi State
gover­norship election."

Governor Fayose noted that it was shameful that the first election
held by the new INEC Chairman, Prof Mah­mood Yakubu, ended in
controversy. He said the manipu­lation of the exercise and the
commission's illegal position on the substitution of APC candidate was
a vindication of his earlier position that he was appointed to do the
bid­dings of the Presidency and APC.

The governor, who said the fact that Prince Abubakar Audu died in the
early hours of last Sunday and his death was kept secret until later
that day pointed to the sinister plot.

"Having manipulated the election substantially, what they plotted by
covering up Audu's death for hours against Islamic injunction, was to
declare a dead candidate as elected governor of Kogi State to pave the
way for the emergence of his running mate as the governor-elect."

Meanwhile, the African Democratic Congress(ADC), one of the political
parties which participated in last Sat­urday's election, has faulted
INEC's decision on the rerun.

National Chairman, Chief Okey Nwosu, while react­ing to INEC's
insistence on going ahead with the supple­mentary election,occasioned
by Audu's death, accused the electoral body of impunity. He said his
party would chal­lenge the action in court.

In a statement issued yesterday, Nwosu said with Au­du's demise before
the conclusion of the election, the right thing was for INEC to cancel
the November 21 exercise and start afresh.

-Vanguard