#EkitiDecides2018: Fayemi emerges governor for second time, defeats Fayose’s anointed
After a long battle of popularity and influence, Dr Kayode Fayemi has emerged governor of Ekiti State for a second time.
In total, Fayemi polled 197,459 while Olusola scored 178,114 votes in 12 Local Government Areas.
Saturday’s poll, though largely peaceful and smooth, had all the characteristics of all elections in Nigeria – machine malfunctions, delay, crowd trouble, bribery, snatching of boxes, and counter accusations.
PDP governorship candidate and Governor Ayo Fayose’s anointed, Prof Olusola Eleka, had initial troubles casting his vote, as the machine failed to read his voter card.
In other parts of the state, particularly in Igbemo, cases of bribery for votes were recorded, with various unconfirmed reports of the offenders’ party affiliations.
Elsewhere, at Ikole Ward 3 Unit 4, some suspected APC thugs were caught attempting to snatch ballot boxes and one suspect, Sunday Owoeye, was taken away by operatives of the NSCDC.
Fayose, a key actor in the activities leading up to the elections, raised eyebrows as he couldn’t be found at his polling unit hours after the voting processes began. He would later show up to the polling unit at his ward, still in his neck brace.
Quite surprisingly, APC emerged victorious in Fayose’s local government area, Irepodun-Ifelodun, with 13,869 votes, while PDP had 11,456 votes.
Though Fayose had severally complained of attempts by APC to “rig” the election in favour of Fayemi, it is unclear if PDP would contest the results.
The outcome of the poll means Fayemi will have four more years to govern Ekiti and deliver on his promises to the people who voted him out in 2014’s controversial election.
