APC APPROACHES TRIBUNAL OVER EKITI POLL, SAYS ELECTION WAS MECHANICALLY RIGGED

Weeks after the Ekiti State election, where the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, emerged victorious, the All Progressives Congress, APC has approached an election petition tribunal sitting in Ekiti state to challenge the outcome of the election, which it said was stylistically rigged.

We Recall that the June 21 governorship election was won by the Peoples Democratic Party’s candidate, Mr. Ayo Fayose.

The Chairman of the Ekiti APC, Chief Jide Awe, reportedly submitted the petition on Saturday before the Ekiti Governorship Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Ado-Ekiti, alleging that the election was manipulated by the Federal Government in favour of the PDP.

The APC is asking the tribunal to “unravel the hidden facts surrounding the election,” alleging that the poll was more of “a mechanical exercise than the conventional casting of votes.”

Chalenging the candidacy of Fayose for the election, the party stated that the governor-elect had an ongoing criminal case with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and shouldn’t have been allowed to contest in the election in the first place.

The party cited manipulation and undue militarisation of the election, as well as impeachment of the incoming governor as the reason for the petition that is coming weeks after the election.

He said the party’s decision to challenge the election was not at variance with the earlier position of Fayemi, who had congratulated Fayose after INEC declared the PDP candidate as the winner of the June 21 poll.

Reports says , Awe had disclosed that, “It is very novel in this part of the world that somebody will concede defeat. The APC is saying that there are some things it wants to unravel. And I made a statement in an advertorial that parts of the landmines that had been planted for the 2015 general elections were detonated in Ekiti, which I called a very bad experiment. In a situation where you put the whole state under siege two weeks before the election, you militarised the whole place, even with dogs and horses. Election cannot be a war more than what we experienced in Ekiti State in the name of election.

“So, I believe some of these things, other than the result of the election, need to be questioned not because of now but for the future. In a situation where you mobilised soldiers from their barracks to intimidate, to hijack, to suppress and to arrest innocent citizens 72 hours before the election, that is an aberration and strange to democracy.’’ He said.

Also recall that the candidate of the APC in the election, Kayode Fayemi had earlier accepted defeat in the election, saying that the victory of the PDP in the election was the wish of the people. He said ‘’ “Yesterday, Ekiti State decided. Following the gubernatorial elections held in the land of honour, Ekiti State, Nigeria, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has officially returned the candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) as the winner of the election.

‘’If indeed this is the will of the Ekiti People, I stand in deference to your will. If the result of the elections is an expression of the voice of our people, we must all heed your voice.

‘’I have just spoken with my brother, Mr. Peter Ayodele Fayose, congratulating him on his victory. In a few hours from now, I would be meeting the Governor-elect to discuss the future of our dear state and how we would work together to institute a smooth transition programme.

‘’It has been a hard fought election. As expected, in the course of the campaigns, there were unsavory episodes as the candidates toured the nooks and crannies of the state to sell ourselves to the people. Elections tend to be highly divisive affairs that often see brother rising against brother. Despite our diverse party affiliations, and regardless of which way we voted on Saturday.