Ekiti PDP To Challenge Results Of National Assembly Election At Tribunal
The chairman , Ekiti State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party , Chief Gboyega Oguntuwase , on Sunday said the party was ready to challenge the results of the National Assembly election conducted in the state at the election tribunal .
He said the conduct of the election defied all decent , civilised and acceptable approaches to democracy.
He spoke in an interview in Ado Ekiti , the state capital .
Oguntuwase said , “The presidential , National Assembly and House of Assembly elections in the state were characterised by violence , ballot snatching, ballot stuffing , vote- buying and threat to lives .
“ The entire state was riddled with uncivilised attitude to politics , all in a bid by the All Progressives Congress to win all available seats in the state by all means .
“ Our party has resolved not to allow this rape of democracy go unchallenged , hence our resolve to approach the judiciary as the only democratic process available.
“ We have given all our candidates in the National Assembly election the go- ahead to pursue their cases at the tribunal because if the broad daylight robbery against democratic attitudes go unchallenged , it is going to consume the nation and our democratic norms and process . ”
The PDP chairman hinged the resolve to challenge the National Assembly election on the party ’s commitment to purifying the system .
He said the team of lawyers being lined up by the party for the legal battle would be disclosed at a later date “ for tactical reasons. ”
He said the party might not contest the results of House of Assembly election where he claimed the APC perpetrated all known electoral offences , but that the party ’s National Assembly candidates would challenge the results .
But the state Publicity Secretary of the APC , Ade Ajayi, dismissed the allegations against the party , saying the elections held in the state were peaceful .
Ajayi , however , commended the PDP for deciding to the approach the tribunal .
He said , “ We will meet them there. They are free to go to court . They have the constitutional backing. I commend them for not resorting to violence . When we get to the courts , we will defeat them again because the truth will always prevail .