This came as the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) yesterday praised itself for the smooth conduct of the Ekiti State governorship election, stating that the commission was well prepared for the election.
The National Publicity Secretary of PDP, Olisa Metuh, said in a statement said of Fayemi: “This exceptional show of statesmanship has indeed earned Fayemi the respect and admiration of Nigerians as a man of honour, a true democrat and a patriot.”
The PDP statement said the outgoing governor “exhibited the spirit of sportsmanship propagated and practised by the PDP and President Goodluck Jonathan” even as it called on politicians in the country to “imbibe the same spirit and jettison all forms of bad loser-syndrome especially ahead of the 2015 general election.”
It said credit must be given to President Jonathan for his insistence on free, fair and credible election at all levels, adding that it was on record that the PDP and the president had never hesitated in congratulating other parties and their candidates whenever they win in an election.
Thanking the people of Ekiti State and the entire nation for the massive support given to it, the PDP said its current leadership under the national chairmanship of Adamu Mu’azu was “more than ever before, committed to ensuring transparent and credible primaries that will guarantee the emergence of only popular candidates for elections.”
While calling on all PDP super stakeholders to work harder in this direction, the party said it would continue to provide a level-playing ground for all Nigerians to genuinely pursue their aspirations within the ambit of the overall national interest.
In the same manner, INEC in a statement issued in Abuja on the outcome of the Ekiti State governorship election, said: “A few days before the election, the INEC Chairman, Prof. Attahiru Jega, had told stakeholders in a meeting at Ado-Ekiti that the commission was pre-pared to make the Ekiti governorship election the best thus far.
The statement said the only thing the commission needed was the support of the people of the state. According to INEC, quoting Jega, “We are looking forward to the best election. We however need the support of all stakeholders to ensure success.”
Also, INEC said the Resident Electoral Commissioner in the state, Alhaji Hussain Halilu Pai, had expressed confidence that the commission was going to pull off an outstanding election.
He hinged his confidence on the elaborate preparation made by the commission to conduct the election.
Still quoting the Resident Electoral Commissioner in Ekiti State, INEC in the statement “I feel happy and elated that we had a peaceful election and we provided a level playing field to all contestants.”
He attributed the success of the election to the many lessons learnt from previous ones which were factored into the Ekiti governorship election and the fact that he carried all critical stakeholders along.
