Afenifere Renewal raises alarm over thuggery, says at least one killed at Oye ,ex senator injured

Elections did not hold in Oye Local Government of Ekiti State and there were reports  the Oye poll may be held tomorrow Sunday April 26.There were clear signs of unease all over the state.Reports on  Saturday said the road leading to the Collation centre was blocked by  people forcing the police to shoot canisters of tear gas into the air, but the crowd of anxious people was not deterred.

 The Pan Yoruba group Afenifere Renewal group has rated the election poor  .The group spokes man Yinka Odumakin in a telephone interview from Ekiti state with newsdiaryonline in Lagos said an ex senator  in the state was injured while a life  was lost in Oye ekiti “It's warfare with the PDP , they deployed thugs to the state  , somebody  was killed in Oye ,(Also) Ex Senator Lawrence Agunbiade was shot ,but now he his responding to treatment'' Odumakin said ..  He added that   about 5000 people had gathered at the Collation centre in Ado to see that the votes are  counted in their  presence. Odumakin   said   INEC could not be rated since the final result was not yet out. 

Curiously, there were reports that some  people have already jubilating that AC's Kayode  Fayemi has won the election .Though counting of votes had commenced at the time of this report, no results had been released . Also there were unconfirmed reports earlier in the day that some observers monitoring the election had been  kidnapped  while some voting material got to many polling unit late.No official statement about these issues has  been given.

Though, there have been apprehension, especially by the Action Congress (AC), that President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua would be deploying troops to maintain law and order for the re-run,  the idea however was  dropped by the presidency.

Even the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Prof Maurice Iwu,  maintained that there was no breakdown of law and order in Ekiti State to warrant the use of soldiers for the re-run. This laid  to rest the possibility of troops deployment which was  hitherto  canvassed by the PDP supporters. All efforts to get the major  candidates react to the election day activities proved  abortive

The people of Ekiti state came out earlier  today  to vote for a governor.An appeal court had ruled that the 2007 gubernatorial polls be conducted afresh. The main parties are the People's Democratic Party, PDP whose candidate Segun Oni had been in office before the rerun was ordered , and the Action Congress ,AC which has Dr Kayode Fayemi as its candidate.

Though the PDP has deployed state machinery including campaigns by President Umaru Yar'Adua to its advantage,progressive elements hope that Fayemi will triumph.INEC has equally pledged to be fair to all. The Ekiti polls will be a litmus test for Yar'Adua's much vaunted electoral transparency.