Fayemi Hails New Senegalese Leader, Macky Sall

Ekiti State Governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, has congratulated  newly elected  Senegalese President,  Macky Sall, even as he hailed the peaceful conduct of the election in the Francophone country.

Fayemi also hailed the people of Senegal for insisting on the sanctity of the ballot and ensuring that their votes count in the two rounds of election held in the West African country before a winner emerged.

The Governor in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Olayinka  Oyebode, noted that Sall’s victory in the Senegalese presidential polls and the attendant jubilation by the electorate  is an indication that free, fair and credible elections are still possible in Africa.
According to him, Sall’s victory  has proved  that it is possible for an opposition candidate to defeat an incumbent chief executive in a credible electoral contest if there is unity of purpose.

Fayemi noted further that the decision of all the opposition parties in Senegal to back Sall has also proved that opposition parties in Nigeria can work together and rescue  the nation’s democracy from sliding into one- man dictatorship.
He commended the Senegalese military for resisting the temptation to take over power throughout the massive protests that rocked the country on the heels of President Abdoulaye Wade’s bid for a third term in office.

Governor Fayemi pointed out that the Senegalese military’s  respect for constitutional order has helped the country preserve its reputation as the only country in West Africa that has never  tasted military rule and one of the most stable democracies in Africa.
He said : “the success of the Senegalese general election has deepened democracy in Africa and established the fact that people’s will shall always prevail no matter the odds. This is certainly a lesson to the junta that recently seized power in the neighbouring Mali and other pseudo-democracy in the West African sub-region.

The Ekiti State Governor, however urged Sall to ensure that policies that will impact directly on the lives of the citizens are pursued vigorously, as a way of justifying the confidence the electorate reposed in him.

Last modified: March 28, 2012