Saturday’s governorship election results in Ekiti State has been rejected by the national leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
It described the results announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission as a daylight robbery.
But the Presidency, in its reaction berated the Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose, describing him as “a high-powered nothing.”
Fayose had, during the electioneering, supported his deputy, Prof. Kolapo Olusola, who is the candidate of the PDP in the election.
INEC had early on Sunday announced the All Progressives Congress’ candidate, Dr. Kayode Fayemi as the winner of the election.
The Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ibadan and Returning Officer for the election, Prof. Idowu Olayinka, who announced the results, said Fayemi had satisfied the requirement of the law by polling the highest lawful votes in the election.
Fayemi polled 197, 459 to beat Olusola of the PDP, who scored 178,121 votes in 12 Local Government Areas while Olusola won in four local governments.
Fayemi won in Ilejemeje, Irepodun/Ifelodun, Ido/Osi, Oye, Moba, Ijero, Gbonyin, Ekiti West, Ikole, Ise/Orun, Ekiti East and Ekiti South-West. Olusola won in Ado, Ikere, Emure and Efon.
Commenting on Fayemi’s victory, the PDP National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Kola Ologbondiyan, at a press briefing in Abuja on Sunday, alleged that the APC and INEC colluded to deny Kolapo victory.
He said that the party would set up a committee to collate the votes it garnered in the election and also look at the robbery which he said the party suffered.
Ologbondiyan said that the reports from the PDP agents did not tally with the ones announced by the electoral commission.
“The PDP rejects the outcome and the results announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission of Saturday’s governorship election in Ekiti State. It is a daylight robbery and it cannot stand,” he said.
Ologbondiyan insisted that the outcome of the election was predetermined, adding that the trio of the APC, security agencies and the commission colluded to deny the PDP victory in the election.
He said, “As I said, the PDP rejects in its entirety the results concocted by the APC, INEC and security agencies, in the governorship election in Ekiti State and declared by INEC.
“The party rejects the falsified results and declaration of the APC candidate, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, to be the winner of the election, as a daylight robbery, a brazen subversion of the will of the people and direct assault on our democracy.
“From the authentic results flowing directly from the polling centres across the state, it is clear that the PDP candidate, Prof. Kolapo Olusola-Eleka, incontrovertibly won the election, with very comfortable margin over the APC candidate, only for INEC to allow the alteration of results at the collation centres.
“Painfully, the people of Ekiti State were pillaged, openly brutalised, confronted with the worst form of cruelty and intimidation from security agencies, and their mandate, which they freely gave to the PDP, was snatched at ‘gun point’ by enemies of democracy, who are parading themselves as icons of anti-corruption.
“Nigerians are witnesses to all manipulations by the APC, aided by security agencies and compromised INEC officials, to rig the election, particularly, the audacious alteration and substitution of election results in favour of the APC at the collation centres amidst the brutalisation of our agents.”
Ologbondiyan said that his party had the details of the outcome of the election and polling units where it won, alleging the party won with a wide margin in those units.
The spokesman for the former ruling party alleged that security agencies sent agents of the PDP away at collation centres before the manipulation of figures was carried out.
He also said that the PDP was in possession of the discrepancies between the authentic results which it said was being studied by the party and those released by the commission.
Ologbondiyan also alleged that fake voters were brought in from Kogi, Lagos, Ondo, Oyo and Ogun states and that card readers from the affected states were imported into Ekiti to enable them (the fake voters) to vote.
He said the APC was desperate as a result of its determination to win the election at all costs as promised by some of its officials.
He said,”This bare-faced subversion of the will of the people is a clear recipe for crisis and we invite Nigerians and the international community to hold President Buhari, the APC, the INEC chairman and heads of security agencies in Nigeria responsible should there be any breakdown of law and order in Ekiti State as a result of this election.
“Finally, let it be known to all that, surely, this electoral banditry will not stand. The PDP is already collating all the infractions in this election and within the possible timeframe, we shall make our next step to reclaim our stolen mandate public.”
