Opeyemi Bamidele, a serving senator and governorship
aspirant in Ekiti, says there was no primary election for the All Progressives
Congress (APC) in the state.
The senator had called for the cancellation of the exercise
after alleging that the primary election committee was made up of loyalists of
Kayode Fayemi, Ekiti governor.
He and other aspirants withdrew from the exercise, while
Biodun Oyebanji, a former secretary to the Ekiti state government, was later
declared winner of the poll.
In a statement issued on Sunday, Bamidele thanked his
supporters but described the exercise as “a fraudulent and fictitious vote
count”.
“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,” the statement reads.
“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, 27th January, 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 beclouding
that I was allotted 700 plus votes in a state-wide gubernatorial primary
election in a state where I had scored over 94,000 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 28,000 votes out of the 42,000 votes that gave me the house of
representatives mandate way back in 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.”
While urging his supporters to remain calm, Bamidele said he
would take steps to challenge the outcome of the primary election.
“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,” he added.
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