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INEC Rigged Ondo Election For APC—Governor Fayose

November 28, 2016

Governor Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti State has rejected the outcome of the Ondo State governorship election, alleging that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) connived with the All Progressives Congress (APC) and some collaborators in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to rig the election before it was conducted.

“Just as I would have loved to congratulate the winner, Mr Rotimi Akeredolu, because in every contest there must be a winner and a loser, the role of INEC in awarding victory to him in the election left much to be desired,” said Mr. Fayose in a statement issued by his special assistant on public communications and new media, Lere Olayinka.

According to the governor, INEC awarded victory to the APC by deliberately replacing the name of Mr Eyitayo Jegede, the PDP candidate, thereby creating a legal logjam that lasted till three days before the election.

He alleged that the PDP went into the election with its hands tied to the back because of INEC’s uncharitable actions, adding that the electoral body acted as an arm of the APC. He asserted that, apart from running against the APC, Nigeria’s other political parties were also now contesting elections against INEC.

Governor Fayose accused the APC-led Federal Government of sustaining a ‘see and buy’ strategy and legalizing money politics, adding that the APC had deliberately created poverty in the country so as to continue to enslave the minds of Nigerians with peanuts to get their votes on election day. “Dibo ko sebe (vote and collect money to cook soup) was the slang used by the APC in the Ondo State election and that only worked because the APC federal government [has] put Nigerians in abject poverty,” said Mr. Fayose.

He added: “Even though INEC allowed what appeared like a free and fair atmosphere on the election day, the election had been won and lost before it was held.

“For instance, INEC that witnessed the PDP primary election that produced Mr Eyitayo Jegede succumbed to pressure from the APC cabal to replace him with Jimoh Ibrahim, who did not take part in any primary election known to the Electoral Act.

 “What could anyone have done under 72 hours in an election that was heavily monetized by the APC?

“The whole process was a deliberate sabotage by INEC, which has totally bastardized the electoral process.

“Obviously, all these shenanigans are geared towards turning Nigeria to a one party state by weakening all opposition parties ahead of the 2019 general elections but I can assure Nigerians that this will not last because the people will always defeat tyranny.”

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