A former Ekiti State governor, Ayodele Fayose, has alleged that dead and sick people were accredited during the South-West Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) congress held in Osogbo, Osun State on Monday.
The former governor describing the exercise as a scam.
Newsflash Nigeria had reported that Ambassador Taofeek Arapaja, the candidate backed by the camp of Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State, got 343 votes to emerge as new South-West Zonal Vice Chairman of Peoples Democratic Party on Monday.
Dr Eddy Olafeso backed by the camp of Fayose got a total of 330 votes.
But Fayose insisted that the election was rigged while speaking on Channels TV Politics Today programme on Wednesday monitored by Newsflash Nigeria.
Fayose said he conceded and accepted the outcome not because the process was transparent, but because the PDP must not lose its quest to take over power from the ruling All Progressives Congress in the South-West.
He explained that a former Majority Leader of the House of Representatives, Mulikat Adeola-Akande, identified those that were dead and sick on the accreditation list.
He said, “The leader of the transport union in Oyo State came to the venue publicly looking for my head. It was public knowledge.
“We compelled them to announce publicly how many people were accredited. They resisted that and said they will announce state-by-state. The norm is for you to announce accreditation and tell us how many people came and how many votes are expected.
“By the accreditation, they initially said Oyo state had 115 people list, 104 accredited. Out of 104, 82 people voted. At the end of the exercise, the accreditation was 675, publicly announced.
“Ekiti voted first, followed by Ogun, Lagos, Osun then they purposely allowed Oyo to vote last.
“When you look at the alphabet, you will realise that a game was obviously going on.
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“In Oyo, they told us 177 were listed. Hon Mulikat protested and said, ‘this man is dead, this man is dead, this man is dead, this man is sick, this one is abroad, this one is aged’. They came back and told us 165. This is the game going on in the entire process.”
When asked if he raised these objections, Fayose said, ‘Yes, they were raised.”
He, however, said his camp chose to overlook rigging because he was not ready to defect to another party.
“I have accepted this result not because they won but because I am one of the people that can’t defect to another party,” he added.
“I have conceded, I conceded not because they won. I conceded because the PDP is a bigger picture. I want to say that conceding does not amount to defeat, it is sheer exhibiting leadership,” he said.
“Take a look at the result and the characters behind the result before I will tell you the issue. I am on one side alone; I have on the side of Governor Makinde, two former governors – Segun Oni and Olagunsoye Oyinlola.
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They have on their side seven deputy governors and two speakers and serving senators.
“The results in quotes, Arapaja scored 343. My candidate Eddy Olafeso scored 330, a difference of 13 votes. I’m glad because that is a show of strength. Whether the result is right or wrong, the world can see in the one-man army that has faced them all and without rigging, they lost.”
When asked if the election was rigged, Fayose replied in the affirmative saying: “Very clearly.”
The ex-Ekiti governor said he approached the court to obtain an order to prevent the PDP from conducting the congress in Oyo State over the fear of violence.
He alleged that the violence came from Oyo to Osun with 200 buses bearing the number plates of Oyo, adding that they blocked the venue of the exercise.
Fayose added, “They came with cutlasses and guns all night, it was in the public knowledge.”
Speaking further, he accused the collation officer, Senator Chris Anyanwu from Imo State of discrepancies while counting the votes cast.
Despite his reservations for the zonal congress, Fayose insisted that he wouldn’t be a party to those who will say the PDP will not move forward.
“For me, as to that election, it was a scam but I must agree as a leader of the PDP. I have been working for this party. I am one of the voices that cannot be forgotten in the PDP.
“And I will not sit down here and say because of 13 votes, because of manipulation the party must not move forward,” he added.
