A group of professionals in Ekiti State under the banner of Ekiti-11(E-11) has foreseen that the June 18, 2022 governorship poll in Ekiti State would be violence-free if all gladiators play by the rules and prioritise the interest of the populace.
The group also visualised economic prosperity for the good people of Ekiti State in the new year, with the current trend whereby the governor, Dr Kayode Fayemi, has shown huge commitment to paying outstanding salaries and upscaling delivery of Infrastructures to open the vista of investments.
In a statement on Saturday by the group’s Chairman, Chief Kola Akosile, congratulating the Ekiti citizens on the new year, the group said 2022 is a decisive year for Ekiti in view of the coming election, which should be approached with every sense of seriousness.
The statement, signed by the E-11 Publicity Secretary, Hon. Adeoye Aribasoye, appealed to stakeholders to place high premium on the generality of the populace and refrain from acts that could push the state to verge of cataclysm and bloodshed.
Akosile said with all the parties and political players aligning by the rules and global conventions guiding democracy, the coming election would be peaceful and credible, which would largely be in the interest of the populace.
“Every election year is always pulsating and tension-soaked in any state and Ekiti can’t be an exemption. But we appeal to our political parties and their players to think more of the larger interest and do what is right and just to avert crisis and bloodshed.
“No election is worth the blood of any Ekiti man. Let our people be given unfettered chance to freely choose who to govern them. But in doing this, let our people ruminate well and think of who can take Ekiti to the next level by sustaining the current tempo of development and build on it.”
Akosile praised the government for acceding to the requests of civil servants by defraying the outstanding salaries and pensions owed by the immediate past government.
The E-11 leader stated that such extreme show of leadership by Governor Fayemi signposted a good and prosperous signal for Ekiti in 2022, since Ekiti is largely a monolithic civil service state.
“Few years ago, the workers could hardly celebrate Christmas and New Year, but the sordid trend has changed owing to the disposition of government to paying what is due to them as and when due.
“With the N100.7 billion appropriation law now targeted at responding to payment of the rest of outstanding salaries, pension, leave bonus and gratuities of workers and pensioners, then things will look up for our people because our economy rests on the civil service structure.”
The group therefore begged Ekiti people to show more commitment in the new year by supporting the government of the day for rapid development, rather than exhibiting unwarranted hatred and bellicosity to the government of the day.