By ‘Dotun Akintomide
Two weeks after the Peoples Democratic Party in Ekiti trumped the All Progressives Congress in a pre-election poll, the result of another independent poll shows Prof. Kolapo Olusola, a. k. a Eleka might have further deepened his popularity among electorate ahead Saturday gubernatorial election, as he now leads Dr. Kayode Fayemi by 25 points.
Recall The New Diplomat had reported Eleka leading Fayemi by 8 points penultimate week.
But, in the latest poll result released Thursday by NOI Poll, Eleka again shore-up his popularity among responders who participated in the poll, having gathered 57 points to Fayemi’s 32 points.
Otunba Segun Adewale of ADP was the third most preferred candidate with just 2 points recorded to his name, while the remaining 9 points went to undecided voters who are not clear yet on their choice candidates, less 24 hours to the official commencement of voting.
According to NOI, the poll was conducted between July 9th and 12th 2018, involving telephone interviews of a representative random state-wide sample in Ekiti State.
It also stated that 1,000 randomly selected phone-owning residents of the state aged 18 years and above, representing the three senatorial districts of the state were interviewed.
Pre-election activities had heated up the political atmosphere in Ekiti, leading to crisis as evident in the camps of the two gladiators — Governor Ayodele Fayose who is backing his Deputy, Eleka to succeed him and Fayemi who had enjoyed the unbridled support of the federal might throughout the campaigns.
On Thursday evening, officers and men of the Nigeria Police vacated the gates to Ekiti State Government House after laying siege to it for the past two days which led to encounter between Governor Fayose and the police, with the Governor seen crying in a video, alleging he was attacked by the police.
Also, security agents were said to have occupied the campaign office of the PDP’s candidate, Eleka, a development which had sparked protest from supporters who thronged the street of Ado-Ekiti demanding the Police to stop using its men to harass PDP members in the state.
However, the APC has rejected the claim by the PDP that the heavy deployment of security agents for the Ekiti election was meant to swing electoral victory in favour of the ruling party.
In a statement issued Thursday in Abuja and signed by the National Publicity Secretary of the party, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, the APC said; “We reject the claim by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) that policemen were drafted to Ekiti State to harass PDP supporters in Saturday’s governorship election in favour of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Governorship candidate, Dr. Kayode Fayemi.
“With PDP’s claim in its press statement, it is obvious that its leadership does not have the facts of the actual events in Ekiti State or it is deliberately attempting to divert public attention from the comical performance put up by Governor Ayodele Fayose on Wednesday, which was clearly contrived to give the impression to the public that he was being persecuted.
“Somehow, Fayose has contrived to make this election about himself. But it is not. The contest is between Dr. Fayemi and the Professor that has continued to hide behind Fayose’s fingers.”
