Ekiti gov election: APC, PDP clash over vote-buying, Oni’s camp mulls legal action

The All Progressives Congress on Sunday took a swipe at the opposition Peoples Democratic Party over the result of Saturday’s governorship election in Ekiti State.

The party, in a statement in Abuja by its National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka, said Nigerians were not deceived by PDP’s claim of being on a rescue mission in the country.

The PDP spokesman, Debo Ologunagba, who responded to Morka’s statement, in an interview with The PUNCH, said the APC heavily induced the electorate whom it had pauperised.

But PDP governorship candidate, Bisi Kolawole, in a statement on Sunday, congratulated the APC standard-bearer, Biodun Oyebanji, who won the governorship election, urging him to take urgent actions to redress the plights of the people.

Also on Sunday, the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), the APC National Chairman, Senator Abdullahi  Adamu and the Progressive Governors’ Forum hailed the election of Oyebanji.

According to the result announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission on Sunday, Oyebanji won 15 out of 16 local government areas in the state, while Kolawole emerged victorious in the Efon Local Government Area.

Oyebanji scored 187,057 votes to defeat the Social Democratic Party’s candidate, Olusegun Oni, who came second with 82,211 votes, while Kolawole, who came third, polled 67,457 votes.

The APC spokesman,  Morka, in his statement, berated the PDP. He stated, “Unsurprisingly, the opposition Peoples Democratic Party finished a distant third position in the just-concluded election. Despite its claim to a self-serving and self-assigned rescue mission of Nigeria, the people of Ekiti State and, by extension, Nigerians are not, in any way, deceived by the ceaseless propaganda of a desperate party that only seeks a return to power to continue its ruinous escapades.

“Without a doubt, the well-deserved victory in Ekiti State is an eloquent testimony of the acceptance of our party under the visionary leadership of President Muhammadu Buhari, the sagacity of our National Chairman, Senator Abdullahi Adamu, and the uncommon commitment of other members of the National Working Committee  of our great party.”

‘APC pauperised Nigerians’

In his response, Ologunagba accused the APC of using poverty as a ‘weapon of mass destruction’  to manipulate the electorate and induce the outcome of the Ekiti election.

“I won’t react to the comment from APC but we are still reviewing the outcome of the Ekiti election. As a party, the PDP doesn’t react, we respond. The election in Ekiti is not a true reflection of what took place. It was a purging. That is the challenge we have about the electoral system.

“The APC has weaponised poverty and turns it into a weapon of mass destruction. What do you expect? Nigerians know the truth and must liberate themselves. In liberating ourselves, there are sacrifices to make. It must also include the willingness and capacity to say ‘No’ rather banishing oneself to a generational servitude.

“We all know what happened in the election. The outcome of that election is not the will of the people. It is a will induced by poverty. We saw the report everywhere in the media that about N10,000 were being paid for a vote. The report is there in the public domain. There were some voters who were spotted dancing in queues and displaying the N5,000 that they received. It shows the electoral system in our country has been bastardised by the APC. From ruining the economy, they have gone as far as disrupting the electoral system without shame. They have succeeded in weaponising poverty as an act of the policy of the government.”

“They have succeeded in turning poverty into a weapon of mass destruction, the capacity of people to make an informed and rational decision becomes difficult. That was what went down in that election.

“That’s the preliminary report we got. The APC has pauperised people and promoted disunity as an act of governance by the infamous statement by the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.).”

Oni’s camp

The SDP state collation agent and former state attorney general, Owoseni Ajayi, said that the results as declared by INEC did not reflect the true decision of the people, lamenting that the process was marred by financial inducement hence the need for legal redress.

Ajayi spoke in the early hours of Sunday after the collation of election results from the 16 council areas and the return of Oyebanji of APC as winner and governor-elect.

He said, “We reject the result of that election because it was fraught with violence, election malpractices, intimidation of voters, purchase of votes and others. The only way we can challenge that is to file our petition at the election petitions tribunal we shall do.

“This will enable generations coming to know that when conducting elections, you must follow the rules and procedures,” the former AG said.

However, the Media Director, Segun Oni Campaign Organisation, Jackson Adebayo, said that the party leadership would meet on the outcome of the election on Monday.

Adebayo said, “The leadership of the party has not taken a decision yet on the election. They will meet tomorrow (Monday), it is then that they will discuss and take a position, which will be made known to the public. Leaders have not met as I speak with you”.

But the PDP standard-bearer, Kolawole, said, “I believe that power belongs to God and He bestows upon whomever he chooses. I also believe in popular choice i.e the unfettered expression of the peoples’ mandate as one of the crucial hallmarks of democratic principle and practice.”

The PDP chieftain spoke in two separate letters – one addressed to the governor-elect titled “Congratulation on your victory” and another one to the people of Ekiti State, titled, “Thank you all, Ekiti”.

Kolawole advised Oyebanji, “Please take urgent actions aimed at redressing the plights of our people when you fully assume the mantle shortly. I wish you the guidance of the Almighty God in the onerous task ahead.”