Just In: It’s insulting for PDP to seek return to power, says Ekiti ex-speaker -Newslanded

Patron, Ekiti-Parapo, Lagos, Julius Adelusi (left); Speaker, Ekiti State House of Assembly, Adeniran Alagbada, Governor Kayode Fayemi, Chief of Staff to the governor, Biodun Omoleye, and President, Ekiti-Parapo, Lagos, Dare Ojo, during the Ekiti Day and Award 2018, in Lagos at the weekend PHOTO: AYODELE ADENIRAN<br />

A former Speaker of Ekiti State House of Assembly, Femi Bamisile, has described Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)’s re-election bid as insulting to Nigerians.

Bamisile, who is the All Progressives Congress (APC)’s candidate for the House of Representatives in Ekiti South Federal Constituency II, spoke in Omuo Ekiti at the weekend.

He said: “APC will work hard to guide against the intruders in their desperate attempt to deceive Nigerians through falsehood, propaganda and cheap publicity stunt.”

“There is no doubt that the coming general elections would also be another game of integrity and performance test, and the question will now be to compare “a-four-year term of APC to a-16-year term of PDP in Nigeria.”

The APC candidate said President Muhammadu Buhari had in the last three and years laid a solid structure for economic recovery and development with infrastructure across the six geo-political zones.

In a related development, a former Minister of Information, Prof. Jerry Gana, has urged the youths to use their numerical strength to vote out incompetent leaders during the 2019 elections.

He made the call yesterday at the 50th anniversary of the Nigeria Fellowship of Evangelical Students (NIFES) in Abuja.

“It is important also for Nigerians not to sell their votes, because the whole value system is changing and many people are just allowing their votes to be bought. It is a shame that people don’t care anymore. Selling you vote is also a way of selling yourself,” he said.

National Director of NIFES, Rex Onuh, said over the years, the fellowship has been a major key player in the development of the nation’s manpower through highly skilled and credible scholars, who have served the nation in different areas.

Meanwhile, a non-governmental organization (NGO), under the aegis Grassroots Accountability Advocacy Foundation (GAAF) at the weekend, canvassed collaboration to end electoral violence.

Founder of the group, Genevieve Ifeoma Anthony-Iroajanma, said the body was disturbed by the level of youths’ hunger for little financial benefits from politicians seeking offices.

She said the synergy should involve the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), and government institutions at all levels.

Speaking under: Roadmap to Violence Free Election, she said “Statistics from the general election in 2011 puts the number of electoral violence-related fatalities at 800, and that for displaced individuals at 65,000.

As a way out, she canvassed voter education, peace messaging, voter/stakeholder consultations, police training, security planning, electoral commission capacity building, and grassroots advocacy by civil society groups.”