*The election reflects mass rejection of the pro-establishment politicians and their political parties!
**NLC and TUC must commence the process of providing the working people with an independent pro-people political alternative either by forming a mass party or supporting the building of SPN into a mass party
Press Statement
The Socialist Party of Nigeria, SPN, describes the outcome of the July 14, 2018, Ekiti State gubernatorial election as neither a pass mark for Dr Kayode Fayemi of All Progressive Congress, APC nor an endorsement of Buhari/APC-led federal government. The election which was more or less a vote buying contest among capitalist political parties especially APC and PDP was not only characterized by militarisation and inducement of the electorate but also reflects a mass rejection of the pro-establishment politicians and their political parties by mass of the working people in the state.
According to the official election result declared by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Dr Kayode Fayemi, the candidate of APC polled a total of 197,459 votes to defeat other candidates who participated in the election. These include his closest rival Professor Olusola Eleka of People Democratic Party, PDP who got 178,121 votes. The result further revealed that, the total votes cast is about 403,451. This is far below 50% of total number of registered voters of 913,334 people and 60% of about 646,000 people who collected permanent voters cards (PVC) in the state.
Going by this data, it is obvious that, Dr Kayode Fayemi did not get up to one third (33%) of the total number of people with PVC let alone that of the total numbers of the registered voters. It is in the light of this, we of SPN reiterate that, Dr Fayemi/APC electoral victory is far from being a pass mark! Again, despite the billions of naira allegedly spent to buy votes by capitalists’ politicians who participated in the said election especially that of PDP and APC, it is instructive to state that, the total votes cast fell below the 433,345 votes cast in 2014. Hence, the winner got about 30% of votes of the registered voters despite cash-and-vote election while at least 69% of registered voters rejected both anti-poor parties (APC and PDP).
This decline in the total vote cast is not surprising to us in SPN. We believe the decline in the turn-out of the electorate largely reflects the huge level of mass dissatisfaction among the people against the four years of misrule and administrative recklessness of the Governor Ayodele Fayose/PDP-led government in the state. It also represents the mass disappointments in the failure of president Buhari/APC-led government to resolve the problems of mass misery accentuated by PDP 16 years of misrules at the federal level. Also responsible for the decline is the fact that four year rule of Dr Kayode Fayemi as Governor of the state between 2010 and 2014 was characterized with mass attacks on workers and poor masses in the state.
Also worthy to note is that, the decision by over 69% of registered voters who either refused to collect the PVC or participate in the said election may not be unconnected with the fact that most working people in the country have been forced by their past experiences to believe that every politician that seeks political power does so for self-serving motive while mass of the working people continue to wallow in abject poverty. Thus, they believe it is a waste of time to participate in elections.
As much as this impression is true, it also important to state that the situation is partly because of the continuous refusal or inability of the leadership of the labour movement, NLC and TUC to offer the working people with an option of credible and independent mass pro-working people political alternative. This has made it difficult for the working people to arrive at a conclusion that only a government formed by them is capable of beginning to address and meet all of their economy and political aspirations and desires.
It in a bid to accelerate the process through which the working people will come to this realisation that we of the SPN call on the NLC and TUC to follow the example that led to the formation of SPN and commence the process of providing the working people with an independent pro-people political alternative either by forming a mass party or supporting the building of SPN into a mass party through which the masses can begin to express their true electoral value. Unless the labour leaders are prevailed upon to yield to this their historical task, sections of the capitalist ruling class will always appropriate the anger of the working people against any section of their class that failed to meet the aspiration of the people to manoeuvre themselves to power.
Our effort to end the cycle of perennial replacement of one set of thieving elites with another in favour of establishment pro-working people government with a socialist programmes explains why we shall continue to build SPN as a true alternative pro-working people political platform to all the existing capitalist political parties in the country. This we also hope could compel the leadership of labour movement in the country to form a pan-Nigeria working people political platform or support building the SPN as such mass platform that will have a wider organisation spread and structure across the length and breadth of the country.
Abiodun Bamigboye Chinedu Bosah
Acting National Chairperson National Secretary
08033914091 07033775517
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