Former Ekiti State governor, Kayode Fayemi, has condemned the burning of a police station in his hometown, Isan-Ekiti, describing the incident as unfortunate and unrelated to the ongoing governorship election.
Speaking to journalists shortly after casting his vote on Saturday, Fayemi commended the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for conducting a smooth accreditation process and urged residents to remain peaceful throughout the election.
“Everything went reasonably well. The accreditation process was fast and seamless and I could see that it was the same for my wife. I want to commend the team working for INEC on this occasion,” he said.
According to him, the voting process appeared more efficient than in previous elections.
“It’s not always been the case that things would be this smooth. At least on the technical side, it would appear to have been a process that was seamless,” Fayemi stated.
The former governor also praised voters for maintaining order despite the security incident recorded in the community on the eve of the election.
“You can see that our people were also very well-ordered in spite of the unfortunate incident that we experienced here last night, which had nothing to do with politics,” he said.
Fayemi warned against speculation surrounding the incident, noting that its occurrence on election day could fuel unnecessary conjecture.
“But, you know, happening on a day like this, a lot of insinuation and conjectures would be in place. I think the process has been well-ordered so far,” he added.
Addressing concerns about peace and voter mobilisation in Isan-Ekiti, Fayemi described the town as a peaceful community with significant stakes in the election.
“Yes, we have a lot at stake here. The son of the community was the former governor of this state, the immediate past governor. And we played our own role in putting the possibilities in office.
“So we are critical stakeholders. We’re also a very peaceful community. Even when I was in office, we never really experienced anything,” he said.
The governorship election is currently underway across Ekiti State, with security agencies and electoral officials monitoring the exercise to ensure a peaceful and credible poll.
