The All Progressives Congress, APC, in the South-West, says it has identified ways through which the June 21 governorship election in Ekiti State was allegedly rigged.
This was contained in a communiqué issued at the end of a caucus meeting held in Ibadan on Tuesday.
The meeting presided over by National Vice Chairman, Chief Pius Akinyelure, and the Deputy National Chairman (South) of the Party, Engr. Segun Oni, reviewed the Ekiti State election and said it was far from being free and fair.
It claimed the events preceding, during and after the election indicated that it was not free and fair, alleging the election was rigged in a manner the country had never witnessed before.
Some of the arguments the APC put forward included perceived militarization of the electoral process, noting that was aptly demonstrated by the restriction of movements of people and the barring of APC governors from entering the state for the final rally of the party on Thursday June 19, 2014.
According to APC, “As a matter of fact, Ekiti State was factually sealed up to all non-PDP personnel while the squad of Musiliu Obanikoro, the Minister of State for Defence, Jelili Adesiyan, Minister of Police Affairs, Kasamu Buruji and Iyiola Omisore allegedly had free days going in and out of Ekiti unmolested and ferrying goods suspected to be ballot papers, cash, arms and ammunitions from Akure airport into Ekiti.
Many APC leaders from different local governments and communities were also allegedly arrested in the dead of the night before the election and were released without any charges brought against them.
“A lot of people who had earlier been accredited by the polling clerks were disfranchised for no justifiable reason. Not known to the electoral law or the procedure of previous elections was the folding of ballot papers. APC later learnt that the procedure activated the votes that had been programmed on the ballot papers. Also the ink pad used neither stuck on the thumbs nor did it print on the ballot papers. The findings were that the thumb prints ink faded within minutes of its impressions both on the ballot papers and the thumbs.”
On Osun State elections due for August 9, 2014, APC noted that the candidate of the party, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola and the party in the state were putting in all efforts to promote the party’s programme to the people of the state.
It claimed its main opponent, the PDP candidate, Otunba Iyiola Omisore, was not visible on the campaign radar except for newspaper interviews and commentaries.
Other members present at the meeting include: Otunba Henry Ajomale, Lagos State Chairman, Alhaji Roqeeb Adeniji, the Ogun State Chairman, High Chief Jide Awe, Ekiti State Chairman, Chief Akin Oke, Oyo State Chairman, Alhaji Tajudeen Bello, National Financial Secretary, Rev. Tunji Adebiyi and Ayo Afolabi.
