The Speaker of the Ekiti State House of Assembly, Right Honourable (Pastor) Kola Oluwawole, has described the attack by the police on the state governor, Dr Peter Ayodele Fayose; and his Deputy, Professor Kolapo Olusola, in Ado Ekiti on Wednesday day, as sign of what Nigerians might have to contend with at 2019 general elections
In a statement by his Special Assistant on media, Stephen Gbadamosi, in Ado Ekiti, on Thursday, the Speaker said he had been studying the body language of the Federal Government in the buildup to the presidential election and had concluded that the nation might be militarized over the coming elections.
He advised the federal government not to allow acts that could throw the country into chaos, before, during and after the elections Nigerians were looking forward to.
According to the Speaker, “We are not interested in ruling over maimed or killed citizens. We are, indeed elected to protect these people as well as their interests. President Muhammadu Buhari must understand that, even if people around him don’t have the will to tell him.
“I had said earlier that the Ekiti governorship election would be a litmus test for the presidential election next year, so also is the Osun governorship. We need to be careful as a nation. Power is not everything.
“The attack on Fayose and his Deputy over a mere governorship election is nothing but mere naked show of power. We don’t want such to be precursor to the 2019 presidential election. This might be a sign that the next presidential election under the present Federal Government would be militarized and that is not good for our democracy.
“Let our people express their opinions by the virtue of their voter cards. The international community should help us so that we don’t put the state and the entire southwest in a tormoil,” he said.
The Speaker added that as the time for the governorship campaigns had ended by Thursday night, all electorate should desist from making statements portraying any candidate, but go out on Saturday to vote the candidate of their choice.
