“We want to inform the national leadership of APC and security agents that Governor Akeredolu has compromised the INEC Collation Officers, who have agreed to make room for substitution of original results for already prepared ones in favour of Action Alliance candidates."
With less than 24 hours to the presidential and National Assembly elections, a group within the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ondo State has accused Rotimi Akeredolu, Governor of Ondo State, of compromising some staff of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to write results of the elections rescheduled for Saturday, February 23, 2019.
The group, under the aegis of Patriotic Youth, alleged that Akeredolu was already in possession of INEC result sheets in favour of all the National Assembly candidates of the Action Alliance (AA).
Abayomi Ayerin, coordinator of the group, who made the allegation in an electronic statement issued in Akure, claimed that Akeredolu was working for AA, and has financially induced the collation officers that INEC deployed for the election.
Ayerin said the funds meant for all agents of the All Progressives Congress (APC) on election day had already been diverted by Akeredolu to the agents of the Action Alliance mostly in Ondo South and Northern (Akoko) area of the state.
The statement read: “We want to inform the national leadership of APC and security agents that Governor Akeredolu has compromised the INEC Collation Officers, who have agreed to make room for substitution of original results for already prepared ones in favour of Action Alliance candidates.
"We have it on good authority that these whole anti-party activities are being executed by Ondo State Deputy Gobernor, Agboola Ajayi, albeit on instructions of his boss, Governor Rotimi Akeredolu.”
He further alleged that Akeredolu has concluded plans to starve agents of APC of mobilization funds in all areas where his favourite candidates are contesting on the AA platform during the rescheduled elections on Saturday.
"The Governor became very desperate when the leadership of Action Alliance (AA) in Ondo State described Tunji Abayomi and other favourite candidate of Akeredolu as impostors. So, we are also not unaware of the fact that the new twist of rejection of Akeredolu’s candidates by AA leaders in Ondo State and the stark reality that the impostors flying the ticket of AA cannot win; must have necessitated the desperate option of result swap," the statement added.
Debunking the claim, Segun Ajiboye, the Chief Press Secretary (CPS) to the Governor, said: “It is a mere cheap blackmail that will not deter Mr. Governor from delivering Ondo State for President Muhammadu Buhari. Our governor is a loyal and committed party leader who will never work against his own party (APC).
“How can the governor be in possession of INEC results? Is he working in INEC that he will have results? Those people are just blackmailing the governor, the election that has not been conducted, how can he have the results? He will not be deterred in winning the state for President Buhari.”