Fayose Dares Buhari On State Of Emergency In Ekiti, Rivers, Says It Won't Work

Ekiti State Governor, Mr. Ayodele Fayose, on Monday said any attempt by President Muhammadu Buhari to declare a state of emergency in Ekiti or Rivers State would be resisted.

Fayose spoke with State House correspondents shortly after taking part in the economic retreat organised by the National Economic Council inside the old Banquet Hall of the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

The governor said he was aware that Buhari was planning a state of emergency in Rivers State over the bloody election rerun that took place in the state over the weekend.

He said he was also aware that the President had the same plan in stock for the people of Ekiti State.

However he said if he went ahead with the plan, Buhari would be thought a lesson that power belongs to the people and not their leaders.

He said, “They have been insinuating that (state of emergency) too in Ekiti. We have been waiting for them. Power has gone beyond the leaders; power has gone back to the people.

“You want to declare state of emergency, declare it and we will tell you that the state of emergency will not work too. This country belongs to all of us.”

Fayose criticised what he called the militarisation of the Rivers rerun.

He insisted that the military has no business in electoral matters.

He urged Buhari to sustain the legacy of free and fair elections which his administration inherited.

“The military has got no business in our election.

“If you watch the trend, PDP has always won all the elections after the annulment. Which means what happened in Rivers is just a service of ego of some individuals who believe they have Nigeria in their pockets and they can call the President at will to deploy the military.

“It is unfortunate that somebody would allow the military to kill his own people.

“I strongly condemn the elections in Rivers and charge that we sustain he legacy of transparent elections.

“For me in Ekiti, we learned from that and we are prepared. We prepare for election every day and we are fully prepared,” he added.

Fayose also said the Ekiti lawmakers currently being detained by agents of the Department of State Services had further confirmed what he described as the rascality of the agency of government.

He said it was unfortunate that the Federal Government would decide to look away and allow innocent Nigerians’ rights to be trampled upon.