Members of the All Progressives Congress in Ekiti State on Tuesday testified before the Nigerian Army panel probing the alleged illegal roles of soldiers during the governorship elections in Ekiti, Rivers and Akwa-Ibom states.
Fourteen other persons, including the members of the Peoples Democratic Party in Ekiti State, who opted for a secret hearing at the panel, also testified at the sitting holding in Kaduna.
The General Officer Commanding, I Mechanised Division, Nigerian Army, Kaduna, who is also the President of the panel, Maj. Gen. Adeninyi Oyebade, had on November 9, inaugurated the panel on behalf of the Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Tukur Buratai.
Oyebade had said based on the weighty allegations against the army in those elections, the COAS, whose vision was to reposition the army professionally, instituted the panel.
The Ekiti State APC Chairman, Chief Olajide Awe, alleged that 36,000 soldiers invaded the state on the eve of the governorship election in June last year, harassed and arrested APC leaders, members and supporters.
Awe added that on the Thursday preceding the June 21 election, some APC bigwigs, including the then Rivers State Governor and current Minister of Transport, Rotimi Amaechi, was prevented from entering Ekiti State while the helicopter meant to convey the Edo State Governor, Adams Oshiomhole, was grounded in Benin.
According to him, the ordeal of the APC leaders in the hands of the military before during and after the election was “better imagined.”
The APC chieftain told the panel that there was no election in Ekiti State, claiming that the then governor and the current Minister of Solid Minerals, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, only accepted the outcome of the election for peace to reign in the state.
Awe added, “He (Fayemi) accepted the result for the sake of peace; this did not go down well with some of our people. We took the decision to accept the result for the sake of peace in the state.”
He, however, denied the allegation of killing in the state during the governorship poll, but said that in his village alone, several houses were razed, 15 vehicles vandalised while several people were kidnappedand released after the election.
“Some of these people that were kidnapped were later found in Sagamu, Ogun State, with bruises.
“Mr. President, sir, there was no report of anybody killed, but there were reports of robberies, harassment and intimidation,” Awe said.
He accused the operatives of the Department of State Services and the Nigeria Police of being partly responsible for the party’s loss in the Ekiti governorship election.
“The DSS wreaked a lot of havoc because they (operatives) were the ones that were close to the people and who pointed out those people to be arrested,” he alleged.
He further alleged that while the DSS operatives wore hoods, the soldiers covered their name tags to conceal their identities.
The APC chairman, however, admitted that he was neither harassed nor arrested, but alleged that the military disenfranchised APC supporters in the state by disallowing them from voting.
Awe said, “Prior to the June 21, 2014 governorship election in Ekiti State, we were excited when told that the Army would be involved in maintaining the peace in the state. A week or so when the Army arrived, our expectation was short-lived.
“On Wednesday, we started seeing that things were not as we thought. On Thursday, we had a rally where most of our guests, especially the bigwigs of the party, Governor of Rivers State, Rotimi Amaechi, was prevented from coming into the state, the Governor of Edo State, Adams Oshiomhole, was grounded at Benin while the party Publicity Secretary, Lai Mohammed (now Minister of Information and Culture), was not allowed into Ekiti at all.
“Nearly all major roads in Ekiti were blocked by the military. The “stop and search” was beyond what it should be. Money meant for the party agents and other logistics were taken by soldiers.
“Between Ado-Ekiti and my village, there were more than three roadblocks mounted by soldiers.
“Around 9pm, some people started calling me that there were soldiers around laying siege to their houses.”
Meanwhile, the Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party in Ekiti State, Chief Tope Aluko, pleaded with the panel to be heard behind closed doors, which members of the panel granted for security reasons.”
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