Human Rights Activist, Femi Falana, SAN, on Monday commended the National Broadcasting Corporation, NBC over the closure of Ekiti Broadcasting Corporation.
Falana speaking with Punch said that Ekiti State would have been plunged into crisis after the election if the National Broadcasting Corporation had not shut the Ekiti State Broadcasting Corporation on Saturday.
DAILY POST recalls that Ekiti Broadcasting Corporation was shut down on Saturday after Governor Ayodele Fayose went on air announcing the results in favour of the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party and the state deputy governor, Prof. Kolapo Olusola.
“The NBC deserves commendation for closing down the Ekiti State television and radio stations where false results were announced by Governor Ayo Fayose. But for the closure, the state would have been engulfed in the violence of unimaginable proportion.
Falana condemned the manner in which voters were induced, calling on the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC to take precaution to avoid a repeat in the forthcoming Osun state election.
He, however, advised Ekiti State Governor-elect, Kayode Fayemi to use his office to end thuggery and impunity, which he said the state had been associated with in recent times.
“No doubt, the financial inducement has substantially eroded the credibility of the election. The governor-elect, Dr Kayode Fayemi, owes the Ekiti people a duty to end inducement, thuggery, and impunity with which Ekiti State has been associated in recent times.
“In particular, the electorate should be enlightened to distance themselves from electoral fraud and allied offences. The open purchase of votes displayed during the governorship elections in Edo, Anambra and Ondo states was repeated in Ekiti State on Saturday.
“I will like to call on INEC to put an end to the inducement of voters during the forthcoming Osun State governorship election,” Falana added.
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