Ekiti election: Afenifere blows hot, reveals what will happen if poll is not free, fair

Afenifere chieftain, Chief Ayo Adebanjo, has said that anything short
of credible conduct of the Ekiti governorship election on Saturday
would not be acceptable.

The nonagenarian spoke in an interview with the News Agency of
Nigeria, NAN, on Friday in Lagos.

Adebanjo appealed to stakeholders that the people's will must be
allowed to prevail in the election in order to strengthen democracy.

He said that voters should not be intimidated under whatever guise,
and every vote must count.

"We demand nothing short of a free and fair election in Ekiti and we
urge INEC and other stakeholders to ensure that.

"There should not be intimidation of voters; there should not be
manipulation of votes.

"The process should be fair and transparent. The people must be
allowed to choose," the chieftain of the Yoruba socio-cultural group
said.

He urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and
other stakeholders to ensure free and fair election, as the focus of
all champions of democracy was on Ekiti.

Adebanjo condemned what he called the manhandling of Gov. Ayodele
Fayose by policemen in Ekiti on Wednesday.

He said the incident was an embarrassment to the nation and a threat
to democracy.

The chieftain said that if a sitting governor could be so treated by
security operatives, then there was little hope for respect of the
rights of ordinary citizens.

He said that such action was not good for the credibility of the election.