Nigeria: State of Emergency Declared in Ekiti State

The President said it was expedient to declare the state of emergency in Ekiti, in view of the total break down of law and order in the state as violent protests against the last state elections left many people dead and homes of prominent members of the ruling party, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) razed in the mayhem.

Thousands of women of the Ekiti women Alliance had trooped to the streets to protest against the declaration of the PDP governorship candidate, Segun Oni as the winner of the last gubernatorial election. They said the opposition party; Action Congress (AC) was robbed of victory. The leader of the protesting women, Mrs. Ronke Okunsanya, is reported to be a two-time commissioner in the old Ondo and Ekiti states. She accused the sole administrator of the state, retired Maj-Gen. Tunji Olurin, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the PDP of complicity in rigging the last state elections.

There have been violent public demonstrations and riots after the flawed state elections in Nigeria last Saturday, with over 62 people dead so far.