Former Chairman of the Senate Committee on Privatisation, Senator Ayo Arise, has said members of the All Progressive Congress (APC) who indicated interest in the governorship election didn’t break any provision of the Electoral Act .
Arise, who said declaration of intent was not an open campaign but a mere mobilizing steps by any party member to shore up the party’s popularity, added that he was not a stranger to the provision of Electoral Act 2010 as amended, which stipulated that aspirants can only campaign 90 days to election.
“The statement credited to former governor Kayode Fayemi that he decided to tarry a while in declaring for the governorship to prevent him from flouting the INEC Electoral Law only portrayed those who had earlier declared as lawbreakers , I think those of us who have declared intentions should be commended for mobilizing for the party”.
Fayemi had while declaring on Saturday at Isan Ekiti in Oye local government, said he would have declared before now but decided to defer such until April 15 when the INEC would finally lift ban on electioneering campaign.
“I could not afford to break the law as a serving Minister under a government that has enormous respect for the Rule of Law”.
Speaking in Ado Ekiti yesterday, Arise said: “the statement that all other aspirants are not law abiding is not good enough.
Those of us who have declared are not law breakers.
“Fayemi is the leader of the party.
We are not unaware of the provision of the law.
It could have been more dignified if the Honourable Minister had said he was coming late because of his status as a serving Minister.
It is not good for him to have portrayed all of us as not law abiding.
“However, we welcome him into the race.
He is a leader of our great party and the primary I think will be interesting.
But this is an election we must win and nobody should try to ascribe wisdom to himself.
And I will advise him not to use or do anything that would make him looks smarter than all of us”, he advised.
On the issue provisions of the law, Arise said: “INEC only give guidelines to checkmate violence and a party is not duty bound to wait for INEC before mobilizing.
So, I expected him (Fayemi) to have eulogized us for mobilizing for the party”, he stated.
On the fact that Fayemi’s joining the race may alter the permutations, the former Senate member added: “I don’t envisage any problem, all of us are eminent Ekiti indigenes.
“We have former governors Fayemi and Segun Oni, senators Babafemi Ojudu, Gbenga Aluko and myself and Opeyemi Bamidele as former member of the House of representatives in this race.
So, I see all of us as being qualified to be governor.
He said no law prevents Fayemi to declare interest earlier than he did, since such would only be restricted to the premises of the party secretariat.
