The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has cleared all the chairmanship seats of the 16 local governments and the 19 Local Council Development Areas in Saturday’s local government elections held in Ekiti State.
The party also cleared 176 out of the 177 councilorship seats in the state.
The elections were held across the 16 local governments and the 19 Local Council Development Areas as well as the 177 wards in the state.
The main opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), had boycotted the election, claiming that the APC is incapable of organizing any free and fair election, devoid of violence.
Six political parties that participated are Action Alliance (AA), African Democratic Congress (ADC), All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), All Progressives Congress (APC), National Rescue Movement (NRM), and Young Progressives Party (YPP).
Declaring the results on Saturday, the Chairman of the State Independent Electoral Commission, Justice Jide Aladejana, said the APC won 176 out of the 177 councilorship seats available in the state.
Aladejana said the councilorship election in Erinjiyan ward has been postponed due to alleged violence that broke out during the poll in the town.
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He appreciated the security agencies and the staff of the commission as well as the Ekiti electorate for participating in the poll and cooperating for the successful conduct of the elections.
Some of the candidates declared for Chairmanship seats include;
Mr. Bosun Osaloni – Ado Ekiti Local Government,
Augustine Ojo – Ado Central,
Oso Oluwadare- Ado North,
Adeyemi Taiwo -Ado West LCDA,
Mr Sunday Ajibade- Oke-Imesi/Ido-Ile LCDA,
Sesan Okere -Ekiti West,
Abiodun Ayodele – Igbara Odo/Ogotun LCDA,
Oyebola Kayode -Ekameta LCDA,
Ekiti South-East LCDA – Alaba Omonusi,
Gbonyin LCDA -Oluwadamilare Ajayi,
Ayekire LG – Ayodele Fadunmuye,
Ijero LG- Adeyemo Adeola,
Emure LG- Joseph Adu,
Ekiti East- Mr Oluwasegun Ojo,
Ido Osi LG- Dr Lawrence Ogunsina,
Irewolede LCDA- Mrs Dupe Bakare,
Isokan LCDA- Olumide Fadipe,
Ikere LG – Femi Ayodele,
Ikere West LCDA – Toyin Afolabi,
Ajoni LCDA -Prince Michael Ogungbemi.
Irede LCDA, Johnson Abobade,
Ilejemeje LG, Oloruntoba Osadare,
Irepodun/Ifelodun LG, Babatola Ogundana,
Ikole West LCDA, Mr Kayode Ogunsakin,
Ise/Orun LG, Mr Ayodele Akinluyi,
Araromi LCDA, Chief Olorunfemi Alade,
Oye LG, Sunday Ajimoko,
Ifedara LCDA, Olawale Ogunleye,
Moba LG -Oriyomi Adeoye,
Ifeloju LCDA- Babatunde Ogunmolugba,
Ero LCDA- Akinwale Alebiosu,
Ifesowapo LCDA- Kayode Akerele.
Meanwhile, the Ekiti State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has discredited the local government election in which the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC) won all the chairmanship and councillorship positions in the 16 local government councils as well as in 19 newly-created Local Council Development Area (LCDA).
The State Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Raphael Adeyanju, in a press statement made available to newsmen, in Ado Ekiti on Sunday, claimed that the results of the election and the obvious low turnout of voters have confirmed the opposition’s fear that the result had been predetermined by the APC.
“The reality in Nigeria today is that the APC cannot win any free and fair election in any state of Nigeria. That none of the six other political parties that took part in the council election was able to win a single councillorship position shows the desperation of the ruling party.
“Those parties were only used to give credibility to the local government election. We knew this, and that was why we kept away from the charade. Ekiti electorates have also understood the antics of the ruling party and refuse to be used, No wonder, the election recorded the lowest turnout of electorates in the history of Ekiti State. Events from across the state on Saturday clearly showed that the people of Ekiti have rejected the APC and its government,” he said.
The PDP spokesman also described the conduct of election in the newly-created LCDAs as unconstitutional, claiming that since the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria recognizes only the existing 16 local government areas in Ekiti State, election in the 19 LCDAs is an aberration and a waste of resources.
Adeyanju said: “The creation of mushroom LCDAs is an act of political gerrymandering, which is a fraudulent creation of constituencies to favour the ruling party. It is an act that was carried out without proper consultation with all relevant stakeholders, especially the opposition parties.”
The PDP also alleged that Governor Kayode Fayemi has a penchant for creating LCDAs when his party is about to lose a gubernatorial election.
“The APC government has as usual created the LCDAs to become a burden for the in-coming PDP administration in Ekiti State. We can see how the 16 existing local government areas have been under-developed by the APC government. They are all in a sorry state and have been left at the mercy of the predatory state government,” he added.
