By Ayodele Oni
A scenario which played out in Bayelsa State when the victory of a Governor-elect was upturned in favour of another political party is unfolding in Ekiti State going by threats of seven defeated Governorship Aspirants during last Thursday’s Primary Election by the All Progressive Congress, (APC).
The Supreme Court had upturned the election of the candidate of APC in Bayelsa State a day to his inauguration, and gave victory to the flagbearer of People’s Democratic Party, (PDP).
Seven of the aspirants, including the Senator representing Ekiti Central, Opeyemi Bamidele and a House of Representatives member, Femi Bamisile, have vowed to pursue alleged injustice observed during the primary to its logical conclusion.
Making the threat a week after the primary of the APC in Ekiti state was held, some of the losers insisted that Governor Kayode Fayemi was involved in rigging the party primary.
The Aspirants, insisted that the Election Committee from Abuja aided the rigging plan laid down by Governor Fayemi.
“One thing I can assure you is that the last is yet to be heard about the Ekiti Governorship Primary. We will not stop at anything to seek justice.
“We should take every step that will challenge this political misbehaviour from repeating itself in future so that politicians can learn how to take caution and be civil.”
“Majority of Ekiti people are seriously disappointed with the way the election went.
“I thought the election would be free and fair because I thought Dr. Kayode Fayemi won’t get involved in things that will deprive the party of a free and fair process and that he will provide a level playing ground.
“Only history will judge me whether I was right or not. I thought I knew him, but I didn’t know that I didn’t know him quite enough.”
These were the submissions of Senator Opeyemi on the role of Dr Fayemi during the primary.
“Speaking further on behalf of others, he explained that the Badaru-led committee hijacked the process by distributing materials a day before the election, changed collation centres and arbitrarily appointed those that would do Oyebanji’s biddings to compromise the process and subvert the will of the people.
“The Ad hoc staff were to be adopted for the conduct of the poll because it was assumed that every member in Ekiti would have taken position. When you talk of ad hoc staff, it means those that would be brought from the national secretariat of the party or APC members from other states.
“The process was totally hijacked by the Badaru Committee. What we saw were campaign managers, sponsors and promoters of Biodun Oyebanji being appointed and saddled with the responsibility of being Returning Officers in the 16 local governments.
“The election materials were to be distributed early on Thursday before the start of the primary and to be distributed in the presence of agents of aspirants, INEC, security chiefs and monitoring teams.
“But materials, both sensitive and nonsensitive, were distributed the previous night. We got calls that as of 11pm, Governor Badaru had handed over materials to Returning Officers from the 16 councils.
“Out of the 16 Returning Officers appointed, 11 of them were with Oyebanji when he collected his expression of interest form at the party Secretariat in Abuja.
“In several of our Local Governments, the venues of our Collation Centres were changed. At the appropriate time, we will give evidence that will put all of us in public court and that will be useful in the court of law. Available INEC report shows that there was no voting, no valid primary election in Ekiti.”
