*** says fake Delegates participate in primary election
The crisis rocking the All Progressives Congress (APC) over the primary election to produce a candidate for Akoko Northeast/ Northwest federal constituency of Ondo State worsened on Sunday as an aspirant, Hon Olugbenga Araoyinbo asked the party to declare him the winner of the election.
Ifeoluwa Ehindero has been declared as the candidate of APC for the bye-election fixed for February 3 to replace the Minister of Interior, Hon Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo at the National Assembly having polled 105 votes out of the 106 accredited for the party primary.
Displeased with the outcome of the primary election, Araoyinbo who was arrested during the primary petitioned the National Chairman of the party, Alhaji Abdullahi Umar Ganduje over the outcome of the primary, which he said was not in compliance with the party’s regulation and did not reflect the wish of the members of the party at the constituency.
Araoyinbo in his petition to the leadership of the party at national and State levels said the primary that produced Ehindero was fraught with irregularities and should be canceled for a fresh one to produce the candidate of the party.
It said “There was no delegate congress in the two local governments before the primary election in accordance to the guideline of the party that was sent out by the national organ of the party before the primary.
“That over 90 genuine, committed, and faithful party members from across the 23 electoral wards who paid for and collected forms to participate in the delegate congress which was scheduled for the 5th of January 2024 for the primary election, we’re excluded as the delegate congress did not hold as scheduled.
“But instead, fake and unknown persons were injected into a fake delegate list which was not even made available to the aspirants before the time scheduled for the primary election and even till I write this letter.
“That if these 90 party members who collected forms to participate as delegates in the primary election, which never held, had been made to participate, they would have voted for me and I would have won as they are all my supporters.”
Consequently, Araoyinbo said since 90 out of his supporters were excluded from the primary election due to non-holding of election of delegate and smuggling of unknown persons into the so-called delegate list, he should be declared as the winner of the primary election.
Alternatively, he said holding a fresh primary election starting with the conduct of delegate congress in compliance with the constitution of Federal Republic of Nigeria, the Electoral Act, the APC guideline, and the timetable for the election is the only panacea to the crisis over the election.
Araoyinbo said the party should listen to his plea to prevent suit in law court to challenge the nomination of Ehindero as the candidate which may affect the chances of the party in the election.
