Less than 48-hours to the Ekiti state governorship election, Aare Onakakanfo of Yorubaland, Iba Gani Adams, has urged all the stakeholders in the state, including political parties, candidates and the electorate to ensure peace and tranquility in the state, before, during and after the election.Adams, in a statement signed by his special assistant on media, Kehinde Aderemi, expressed concern over the prevailing situation in the state, saying election should not be a do- or die affair.
“In the build-up to Saturday’s election, Ekiti state has been in the news for the wrong reason. A situation where the security of the electorate is not guaranteed is not acceptable to our democracy in the 21st century. The election in Ekiti on Saturday will be the first election in the southwest, since my installation as the Aare Onakakanfo of Yoruba land in January. As the Aare Onakakanfo of Yoruba land, with strong belief in the promotion of Yoruba culture, and a proponent of peace across the world, I urge the Inspector General of Police, the Department of State Security(DSS), and other government’s security architecture to rise up to the challenges of ensuring peace in Ekiti this Saturday. A situation where security operatives allegedly wear masks a few hours to an election is uncalled-for. Therefore, politicians must play by the rule, not forgetting that elections would go, but Ekiti state will remain.
Aare Adams, however, supported the prompt intervention of Ekiti monarchs, for lending their voices to ensure peace in the state, even as he appealed to the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to ensure adequate security and a level playing field for all the candidates, so that the electorate in the state can exercise their civic responsibilities.