Ekiti 2022: APC Appeal panel affirms Oyebanji’s victory; MOB threatens legal action

The All Progressives Congress (APC) appeal committee on the Ekiti State governorship poll has affirmed the election of Biodun Abayomi Oyebanji as the candidate of the party in the June 2022 governorship election.

Newsflash Nigeria had earlier reported that the lawmaker representing Ekiti Central Senatorial District in the National Assembly, Opeyemi Bamidele (MOB), former Minister of Works, Dayo Adeyeye and five governorship aspirants on the platform of the APC had withdrawn from the party’s primary election in Ekiti state, a few hours to conduct the shadow election.

The aspirants — Kayode Mojo, Demola Popoola, Femi Bamisile, Bamidele Faparusi, Dayo Adeyeye, Opeyemi Bamidele and Afolabi Oluwasola — alleged that the primary election committee is made up of loyalists of Kayode Fayemi, Ekiti governor.

They alleged that Fayemi is making an attempt to foist Biodun Oyebanji, a governorship aspirant, as the party’s governorship standard-bearer in the state.

The aggrieved aspirants said there is no way the exercise will be fair with the calibre of people sitting on the primary election committees.

“The seven aspirants herein received with rude shock and dismay the purported list of the local government election committee and ward election committee made up solely by party members and political appointees that had before now openly endorsed the candidacy of Biodun Oyebanji the immediate past secretary to the state government,” they said.

“It is on record that the government of Governor Kayode Fayemi has given its unwavering support to the candidacy of Biodun Oyebanji, it is common knowledge that the Governor and most appointees of the governor are openly rooting for and supporting Biodun Oyebanji’s aspiration to become the flag bearer of our great party.

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“What is more disturbing is the fact that a simple glance at the names of the persons appointed as members of both committees would reveal that it is made up of appointees of government who are all supporters of a candidate in the primary election they are appointed to superintend on.”

The aspirants asked the party to reconstitute the primary election committees across the state.

“The seven aspirants herein are loyal, faithful and committed party members who are sincerely concerned about the chances of the party in the forthcoming 2022 governorship election where an imposition is allowed to override a Democratic primary election for determining its flag bearer,” they said.

“We request  that both the local government election committee and ward election committee that was constituted on the list already in circulation be disbanded and replaced with names that would reinforce internal democracy and uphold the aims and objectives of the party.”

But the appeal panel headed by Malam Tijjani Musa Tumsah dismissed the allegation by seven aspirants.

The panel said that the allegation by the seven aspirants concerned only two Local Government Areas “which is not sufficient to upturn the result, as the results from the remaining 14 local government areas was not challenged”

Meanwhile, Senator Michael Opeyemi Bamidele has said he would not accept the outcome of the process that produced Biodun Oyebanji as his party candidate.

The APC Primary Committee led by Jigawa State Governor, Mohammed Abubakar Badaru had pronounced Oyebanji who was reported to have polled 101,703 votes as the winner.

Governor Badaru who spoke with newsmen last Friday at the APC national secretariat in Abuja shortly after submitting his Committee report said the process was free, fair and transparent.

But Senator Bamidele in a statement he personally signed and issued to newsmen in Abuja on Sunday dropped the hint of a legal action to challenge the outcome of the process which he dismissed as a charade.

He submitted that the process supervised by the Jigawa State Governor was a ” brazen abridgement of the Electoral Act in the election would be subjected to legal scrutiny via the party’s constitution and the 1999 constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”

He insisted that no election was held on January 27, saying figures reeled out by the Committee were allegedly fabricated to suit a certain sinister purpose.

The statement reads in part,” I would like to thank our great party, the All Progressives Congress at all levels: the National, State, Local Government and Ward structures for their continued support and in ensuring the tenets of democracy are continuously entrenched in the political entities and governance of Ekiti State

“I would like to thank my teeming supporters, family, loving kinsmen, distinguished colleagues, friends, loved ones, my party elders and members of Team M. O. B., Destiny Helpers from all walks of life and the Think Thank Vision group for their unflinching support in our preparations for the gubernatorial Primaries scheduled to hold on Thursday, 27th January 2022.

“I, most especially, appreciate your acts of selfless service, the commitment of resources, time and efforts to ensure victory for us at the primaries.

“However, rather, unfortunately, the process of conducting these primaries was hijacked, truncated, compromised and bastardised by those at the helm of affairs in Ekiti State, which is tantamount to a complete abuse of trust and leadership.

“Judging from a critical assessment of our campaign strategy by positively reaching out to our people in all nooks and crannies of Ekiti State to push our progressive message, I had no doubt in my mind that we were coasting to victory had the process been transparent and fair.

“It is public knowledge that no primary election took place on Thursday, January 27, 2022, but yet, rather disappointedly, results were announced based on concocted and fictitious vote counts.

“The underlining level of impunity, desperation and perfidy which characterised the entire rigging process was so much and thought is clouding that I was allotted 700 plus votes in a Statewide gubernatorial primary election in a state where I had scored over Ninety Four Thousand votes in just one out of three Senatorial Districts to emerge as a Senator. This was less than three years ago and after then I had done much more to earn the confidence and greater love of the people through effective representation on the floor of the Senate as well as life touching empowerment programmes and constituency development projects.

“More specifically, the breakdown of the votes allotted to me indicated that I got 150 votes in Ado Ekiti, my beloved second home where I had recorded Twenty Eight Thousand votes out of the 42,000 votes that gave me the House of Representatives mandates way back in the year 2011 to represent Ado / Irepodun-Ifelodun Federal Constituency.

“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.

“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.

“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.”

Bamidele added, “To the glory of God, I have fought quite a number of battles in my life based on my sense of indignation to injustice; but I had never been this resolved to stand up and challenge principalities and powers in utmost determination to defeat darkness and make the light of Ekiti and her people shine again.”

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