A National Assembly member and All Progressives Congress governorship aspirant in Ekiti State, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, said on Sunday that the alleged abortion of democracy in Thursday’s APC primary election in the state would be subjected to legal scrutiny.
Bamidele insisted that no election was held on January 27 and that the figures reeled out by Governor Abubakar Badaru-led Primary Election Committee were allegedly fabricated.
The National Assembly member, in a statement titled, ‘I will challenge Ekiti APC gov primary legally’, said, “We are of course taking immediate steps within the confines of our party constitution and the law to seek redress for this blatant abuse of trust and due process by the state actors”.
Bamidele and six other aspirants had on Thursday protested and called for the suspension of the election, saying the list of members of local government and ward committees to be used as electoral officers were supporters of an aspirant.
However, Badaru had on Thursday night announced the results of the election and declared a former Secretary to Ekiti State Government, Biodun Oyebanji, winner of the exercise and returned him as the APC candidate.
But Bamidele said it was regrettable that the process of conducting the primary was “hijacked, truncated, compromised and bastardised by those at the helm of affairs in Ekiti”, which he said was tantamount to a complete abuse of trust and leadership.
He said, “It is public knowledge that no primary election took place on Thursday, 27th January 2022, but yet, rather disappointedly, results were announced based on concocted and fictitious vote counts.
“More specifically, the breakdown of the votes allocated to me indicated that I got 150 votes in Ado Ekiti, my beloved second home, where I had recorded 28,000 votes out of the 42,000 votes that gave me the House of Representatives mandate way back in the year 2011 to represent Ado/Irepodun-Ifelodun Federal Constituency.
“The underlining level of impunity, desperation and perfidy which characterized the entire rigging process was so much and thought-beclouding that I was alloted 700 plus votes in a statewide gubernatorial primary election in a state where I had scored over 90,000 votes in just one out of three senatorial districts to emerge as a senator.
“So, whilst on this quest to seek an amicable resolution to this impasse, I urge all to remain calm and prayerful that justice and truth will prevail for the benefit of the people of Ekiti.”
“But we will remain resolute, strong, focused and faithful in the face of this impunity, total lack of regard for the electoral due process and executive rascality by a chosen few who were elected to represent the interests of Ekiti people,” he added.
Copyright PUNCH.
All rights reserved. This material, and other digital content on this website, may not be reproduced, published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole or in part without prior express written permission from PUNCH.
Contact: [email protected]
