Ekiti guber: Printed materials not ballot papers but specimens to educate illiterate voters —Fayose
By Ekiti State Governor Ayodele Fayose has said that the poll materials alleged to have been contracted to one Mr Eniola Fayose, a Lagos-based printer by his party, were specimens meant to educate voters.
Fayose reacting on Tuesday through his Chief Press Secretary, Mr Idowu Adelusi, challenged the security operatives to publish the materials they claimed to have recovered from Eniola’s office in Lagos.
He said, “Eniola printed specimen of election materials for voter education for our people who are illiterates. The specimen has nothing to show it is authentic INEC material. APC and INEC also printed specimens and distributed them publicly.
“We challenge them to show the so-called election materials that they are talking about. They should publish what they have. INEC printed their own specimen and we also printed our own specimen for voter education for our people”
“The specimen is not usable anywhere and not showing any thing that appears to be authentic materials. APC did their own specimen for their people and we did that too. This is an attempt to intimidate us. The mere fact that he is Fayose does not mean that Eniola is my relation,” Governor Fayose said.
A printer, Mr Eniola Fayose, had been accused by the police of printing Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) ballot papers for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to rig the Ekiti governorship election of July 14.
But, the printer had denied printing ballot paper claiming that what he printed was specimen to educate voters.
He spoke in Ado-Ekiti on Tuesday, in his reaction to the storming of his office in Lagos by the police who accused him of printing ballot papers and engaging in gun running.
Eniola, said to have shown samples of the specimen he printed for PDP, was quoted to have said that, “I am a registered printer with over 20 years experience. These are the samples of specimen I was asked to print for voter education. It has no logo or security features on them as they are for mere education of the voters.
“They are just specimen to let the people know how the ballot paper looks like and how to thumb print and how to fold the papers.
“Everything the police claimed to have seen in my workshop when they searched the place are valid documents. Every political party has such specimen to educate their people. When copies given by the INEC are not sufficient, parties can print the specimen.
“The specimen I printed is in a paper of 60 gramme bond which is incapable of registering the needed security point for a genuine ballot paper. It has no logo, no number, no security feature. Specimen is clearly written on it.
“At the initial stage, I found the allegation comical and hilarious but I just noticed that it is a mischief executed by certain people trying to take undue advantage.
“The Lagos Police Commissioner in his statement never said he saw ballot papers in my workshop and did not said I was arrested. He did not see anything incriminating, he is quite a gentleman and professional in doing his job. The CP said that everything he saw were documents.
“I build my businesses on hard work and integrity with enviable track record with local and international awards. I am working for seven countries in sub-Sahara Africa. For our detractors, thanks for the free advertisement. We remain unshakable.”
Threatening to sue anyone no matter how highly placed who maligns his name, he said: “I know the law works and I am ready to sue anybody on this matter. I have not done anything illegal. I don’t know anything about arms and ammunition. I am a law abiding citizen and not a relation of the governor. I am from Ikere-Ekiti.”
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