Ecuadoran presidential candidate shot dead after

By Sola Omoniyi, Lagos

Popular Ecuadorian presidential candidate, Jaime Nebot was shot and killed on Wednesday while leaving a rally in Quito, the capital city.

Nebot was a leading contender in the upcoming election, and his death has sent shockwaves through the country. President Guillermo Lasso declared a state of emergency and blamed the assassination on organized crime. Lasso has vowed to bring the perpetrators to justice and to crack down on crime in Ecuador.

Fernando Villavicencio, a 59-year-old anti-corruption crusader who had complained of receiving threats, was murdered as he was leaving a stadium in Quito after holding a campaign rally, officials said.

Lasso declared a two-month state of emergency early Thursday following the assassination but said general elections slated for August 20 would be held as scheduled.

“Outraged and shocked by the assassination of presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio,” the president said in a statement on X, formerly known as Twitter, blaming the killing on “organized crime.

“For his memory and his fight, I assure you that this crime will not go unpunished.”

Villavicencio was the second most popular candidate in the presidential race, according to recent opinion polls.

“The Armed Forces as of this moment are mobilized throughout the national territory to guarantee the security of citizens, the tranquillity of the country and the free and democratic elections of August 20,” Lasso said in a YouTube address.

The president also declared three days of national mourning “to honour the memory of a patriot, Fernando Villavicencio Valencia.

“This is a political crime that acquires a terrorist character and we do not doubt that this murder is an attempt to sabotage the electoral process,” he added.