The Publicity Secretary, APC, Ekiti State, Segun Dipe, in this chat with ABIODUN NEJO, says Ekiti people voted for APC candidates in the council elections because of their trust in Governor Biodun Oyebanji
What is your assessment of the recent council elections in the state?
My assessment of the exercise is that though the turnout was not as anticipated, it was calm, it was predictably a one-horse race and it showed that the people of Ekiti State now have focus. They know where they can plant their cassava and get a better yield. The people have not regretted voting Governor Biodun Oyebanji and they have confirmed that with the LG elections.
You said it was a one-horse race. Is that in agreement with the Peoples Democratic Party which said your party only wrote names of members as chairmen and councillors?
If they are saying that about the local government elections, that will be unfair and uncharitable of them because the exercise was properly conducted by the Ekiti State Independent Electoral Commission. The parties that presented candidates ran and people voted for the candidates of their choice. We did not write the names, people voted, and winners emerged.
But the PDP is saying there was no council election in the state. Are you not worried about such a position?
The fact that there were elections was seen by the blind and heard by the deaf. There were campaigns from our side. We toured the entire state, and there was awareness created by EKSIEC; the processes and every other thing were publicly declared. Thank God, there were no newly designated polling booths; it was the same polling booths used by INEC that EKSIEC used. So, everybody went there and saw that elections were held at the different units. If you say that the turnout was low, maybe because the outcome could be anticipated because the APC was the only one that made concerted efforts or that showed seriousness before the election, but if they are saying that there was no election, maybe they are saying they did not participate, and we cannot help that.
What is your reaction to the allegation that EKSIEC had two card-carrying members of the APC before the exercise?
Let me say that in the first instance, all members of EKSIEC are human beings and of Ekiti origin. When these people were appointed and the list came out, nobody raised any objection. So, why are they saying that after the council election? I think it’s too late to cry. The EKSIEC chairman and members are not members of my party. That I can say, maybe they should mention the names. Again, is it not too late? Is it not a pre-election issue to say that the people to conduct an election are card-carrying members of a particular party and you are now saying it after the election has been lost and won? I think they are just trying to give excuses for their nonchalant attitude towards the election.
The opposition said the low turnout recorded during the LG election was because people had lost hope in elections under the APC. What is your reaction to this?
No. That is not true and could not have been the reason. Voter apathy could be due to many reasons. I started by saying it was a one-horse race. If an election is coming and only one party is dominant, only one party is campaigning, canvassing for votes, running around, and is seen to be actively planning for the election, it is enough to say that maybe some voters knew the outcome and decided not to come out to dissipate their energy on an election that they knew that a particular party would win whether they voted or not. By and large, it might be because people could see that the other parties were not showing that they could win in the election. That is just one of the reasons. Several reasons might have come up. But I think that an election process is a continuous exercise, and we will continue to create awareness and encourage people to vote and see it as a duty. The people should not disenfranchise themselves. It is your right to vote for the candidates of your choice so that if they are not working, your voice can count.
In the 2021 LG elections, the major opposition, the PDP, did not participate. In this one too, the major opposition parties, the Social Democratic Party and the PDP, boycotted the exercise. Are you comfortable with this trend?
If we have to look at what happened before the election, we can say yes, we are comfortable. Before the election, when we went to the 38 LGs and LCDAs, we discovered that at each LG or LCDA that we visited, SDP and PDP members were always defecting to our party. By and large, their leaders have left those parties; those who are supposed to fund or lead them have abandoned the parties for the APC or the governor. They have shown preference that they like the administration of Governor Oyebanji. So, they don’t want to dissipate energy in encouraging a contest against him. There were a lot of defectors to the APC from the parties that you have mentioned. In that wise, you won’t expect the weak ones that are left behind in the parties to start dissipating energy over nothing because they already knew that even their members had left them in the cold. They boycotted because they had anticipated and could predict the outcome of the elections.
Which areas of improvement do you suggest for the conduct of LG polls in Ekiti State?
The conduct of LG elections in Ekiti is still growing, still developing and still evolving. We should rather encourage people not to see the party in government as having an overwhelming influence on the outcome. They should come out and exercise their civic rights. They should come out and see it as their duty to vote and be voted for.
Observers adjudged the election to be fair, devoid of violence and intimidation, what do you think is responsible for all these?
I think it is the trust the people of Ekiti State have in the Oyebanji administration. We should thank God that the government of the day is doing what the people want and because of that, the election can be free, fair, and devoid of violence.
Some people believe that LG elections are better conducted by INEC. What do you think?
I think for that to happen, the constitution will have to be tinkered with. The constitution has recognised the role of SIEC, and we cannot do anything contrary to what the constitution and the Electoral Act have stipulated. We rather stick to that. SIEC administrators are appointed at the state level, the same way INEC administrators are appointed at the national level. The law is so clear about that. If they still leave it to INEC, people will still complain that the government at the national level could have influenced the choice. So, it is still the same. The operational word there is independence. If you think there is no independence, you should cry out before the election and the court will look at that. That will be a pre-election matter.
