The Lagos State Governor, Babatunde Fashola, has said that the Governor of Ekiti State, Kayode Fayemi, accepted the result of last Saturday’s gubernatorial election in Ekiti State to avert violence that could have led to loss of lives, Thisday Newspapers has reported.
Mr. Fayemi, the incumbent, lost by a landslide to the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Ayodele Fayose.
Mr. Fayose, a former governor of the state, was impeached while in office in 2006, following an allegation of money laundering. The case against him is still being heard in court.
Speaking to journalists after a meeting with local government chairmen at the State House in Marina, Mr. Fashola said there were plans to cause trouble after the election.
“I am aware that there were instruction to cause mayhem during the election and Fayemi decided that rather than allow blood to be spilled, he behaved statesmanly. He saved his people from being slaughtered if they had protested,” Mr. Fashola said.
He also took a swipe at the PDP’s candidate, suggesting that electorates were induced financially to vote him.
He said the outcome of the election was a very dangerous message.
“To simply suggest that once you give people money, then this is the way it will happen. It is frightening for me in a democracy. When one looks at the way people have behaved one week before the election, no one could say Fayemi will lose the election. The worse anyone could say was that the election look close,” he said.
Mr. Fashola also advised voters to get their priority right.
“It raises the question of what we have been doing for seven years. Should we just be giving money and when people ask about security, we say we have been giving you money, go and rent your own security.
“When people ask for healthcare, we say that you have collected money. Is that the model for development? These are lessons. I am not suggesting that we monopolise the debate about what the best policy is. But I am saying that there must be another side. There must be a debate,” he said.
He said the people should realise that development comes at a cost and that leaders do not claim to have monopoly of ideas and are ready to shift ground if presented with superior arguments.
Mr. Fashola questioned the argument that Mr. Fayemi lost because his government was perceived to be too elitist.
“There are issues that I think we need to ponder and ask what really happened. From the human behavioural angle, is there any governor that has lost election like this in the country? If they say that the governor is elitist, where would one express his elitist qualities if not in Ekiti State?” he asked.
Bad example
Mr. Fashola said that the election of Mr. Fayose, who was still in court on the allegation of money laundering, did not present the country in a good light.
“I want everyone to remember that Fayose’s party told everyone that the governor-elect has criminal case to answer. They removed him from the office and took him to court. They have not told us that he has been acquainted. They bring him back to the same state. With this, is that consistent with human behaviour? Will human being behave like that? Memories may have faded, but do they all fade such that the same governor now defeats an incumbent whom everyone said has done well for his people; in all local government area,” he said.