BY ABIODUN NEJO
All Progressives Congress (APC) House of Representatives aspirants in the primaries held in Ekiti North Federal Constituency 1 have appealed to the party national chairman, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, to cancel the result being brandied by the National Working Committee (NWC) panel for for the National Assembly primaries in Ekiti State.
The aspirants – Hon Bimbo Daramola, Bunmi Ogunleye and Olufemi Ajayi, accused the Dr Ibrahim Sule-led NWC panel of manipulating the process on Friday in favour of aspirant found to have political tie with some leaders of the party in the state.
The aspirants, who spoke at a press conference in Ado Ekiti on Saturday, said election did not hold in any ward in Ikole and One council areas comprising the federal constituency, alleged that figures were written at a different location for Barrister Peter Owolabi, who the panel returned as winner.
According to them, the panel, in cahoots with some leaders of the party in the state, resorted to what they termed “robbery of democracy” when their plot to impose Owolabi through indirect primaries failed.
Daramola, who wondered where the panel got the 2,000 votes recorded for him when election did not hold, said: “It is laughable and ridiculous. I totally reject the result.
The former lawmaker advised the APC to abide by the tenets of democracy they were found of preaching, rather than being hypocritical by doing what negated the ideals they preach.
He challenged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Department of State
Services (DSS) and the police to present the reports of the primaries to substantiate whether election was truly held in the federal constituency.
He said: “This brazen daylight robbery has the capacity to injure not only the reputation of our party, but also create bad blood among our members.
They should stop behaving in an unruly manner because we are facing the PDP in next year’s general elections.
“What we saw yesterday in Ekiti North Federal Constituency 1 was a
travesty. It wasn’t a reflection of the People’s will. The results
announced for our brother, Mr. Owolabi was a disappointment and brazen desecration of democracy in our land.
“Contrary to what the chairman from Abuja, Dr. Sule, said that no photocopy would be used for results sheets, but in Oye, we have evidence that photocopies were used. They brought photocopies that
are not visible which are not worth as much as tissues paper with no numbers, no index, but original ones were sent to Iloro Ward 2 in Ekiti Central.
“We plead with our party to do justice in this regard by canceling the outcome of the primaries in the interest of our party’s reputation that was being damaged”, he said.
Other aggrieved aspirants, Messrs Ogunleye and Ajayi added that democracy was murdered by the action, saying no election was held in the federal constituency and that electoral officers did not report in any of the ward in Ikole Council area.
Ajayi said: “It is high time we stopped behaving as if our people don’t matter. Our people should determine who wins any primary and not by imposition. Many old and young people waited in the sun, but results were written and these results were concocted by those who announced them.
“We aren’t saying our party leaders don’t matter, but where they want a consensus candidate, they should carry everybody along. But that
wasn’t done, I am insisting that there was no poll in lkole LGA, but a winner was announced. I do not know where they got the results.
“If anyone would emerge as our representative, the people must be given the liberty to have inputs. APC shouldn’t continue this way,” the embattled aspirant said.
