Ekiti State prepares for Saturday’s gubernatorial election

In less than forty-eight hours to Saturday’s Governorship election in Ekiti State, Southwest Nigeria, the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has declared its readiness to conduct a free, fair and credible election.

Sixteen political parties and their candidates will be contesting the highly coveted governorship seat to replace incumbent Governor, Kayode Fayemi.

The parties have since been canvassing for votes and selling their candidates to the very politically conscious electorates in the State.

Prominent among those contesting for the Oke-bareke government house in Ado-Ekiti, the state capital is Abiodun Oyebanji of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC; Bisi Kolawole of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP; and Olusegun Oni of the Social Democratic Party, SDP.

Others include; Reuben Famuyibo of the Accord Party;  Debo Ranti Ajayi of the Young People’s Party, YPP; Wole Oluyede of the African Democratic Congress, ADC;  and the first female governorship candidate in the state, Erelu Kemi Elebute-Halle of the Action Democratic Party, ADP.

The stakes are high in this election. This is because what used to be a straight contest between the two traditional rivals, APC and PDP may now be a three-horse race, with the coming of the Social Democratic Party, SDP, and its candidate, former Governor Segun Oni.

Though the Independent National Electoral Commission and security agencies have given assurances of smooth conduct of the governorship poll, there is a sense of unease in some parts of the state.

This may be attributed to the violent clashes and skirmishes among the three prominent political parties, namely APC, PDP and SDP, in the build-up to Saturday’s election.

However, security has been beefed up with the detachment of heavily armed soldiers to strategic areas and flashpoints in the state as well as constant patrols of major roads by the Police and Army.

Dominica Nwabufo