An aspirant in the Ekiti North Senatorial District under the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC),
Oluwadare Owolabi has said that what transpired during the last Monday primaries of the party was an act of terrorism.
Speaking with journalists on Tuesday in Ado-Ekiti, Owolabi described the primary election as deeply flawed and inconsistent with democratic standards.
“That is why I am meeting with the press to explain what happened during the APC senatorial primaries in Ekiti yesterday.
“Of course, if the election had been free and fair, I would have won. I have worked on this ambition for the past two years. I visited all the wards, engaged party structures across the district, and mobilized support extensively. I know the turnout at my rallies and I know the level of interest and support from the people”.Owolabi.
Commenting on the outcome of the poll, Owolabi called for the cancellation of the results alleging it did not reflect the wish of the people .
The Aspirant claimed to have scored 4,341 votes instead of the 2,836 votes announced by the election committee.
Recall that the returning offer for the senatorial primary election, Asipa Wasiu declared that the incumbent lawmaker, Senator Cyril Fasuyi polled 14,179 votes to secure his ticket while Senator Ayo Arise came second with 4,868 votes.
“What I’ve seen so far is an act of terrorism, looking for a way to actually not allow people like us or people that are coming on board or people that want to add value to their state or to their local government or their district to have that opportunity. If you don’t do that and based on what people are seeing today, you will see a limited number of people coming to politics because this is not actually democracy. This is an act of terrorism”
According to him, several wards across the district, supporters who openly queued to vote for him were dispersed once it became obvious that he was enjoying significant support.
He explained that voting in the ward was conducted peacefully and transparently, with votes counted openly before the result was allegedly cancelled afterward.
“The primaries were held yesterday and the reason I decided to meet with members of the press is because of the manner in which the primaries were conducted. The exercise was riddled with irregularities and flaws.
“For example, in my ward, Ward 3 in my hometown, elections were conducted properly. Votes were counted, and the process was free, fair, and transparent. However, at the end of the exercise, the results from Ward 3 were cancelled.
“In several other places, my supporters queued openly to vote for me. But once it became clear that the number of people on the line was greater than that of the other contestants, especially supporters of Senator Cyril Fasuyi problems were deliberately created. Those on the queue were intimidated and frightened away from the venue. In the end, votes were either not counted at the polling units or figures were later written elsewhere without our knowledge.
“Most of those result sheets were not signed by our agents because they did not know when or where the figures were recorded. Even today, ward chairmen and other individuals are still being called to sign documents they should ordinarily have signed yesterday during the process.
“One of the contestants did not even go around the wards and reportedly lost in his own hometown, yet we are being told he scored more votes than I did. I have checked some of the locations myself and there are videos showing there were hardly any people on the queues. This clearly shows that the process was manipulated and that the figures being announced do not reflect reality.
“Another irregularity occurred during the announcement of results. The returning officer first mentioned my name, Oluwadare Owolabi and announced purported figures. They then proceeded to announce the names of other contestants. Ordinarily, results should be read in proper sequence, not in a manner that raises suspicion. These inconsistencies further deepen concerns about the credibility of the exercise.
“When people questioned what was happening, they were told that “this is what the establishment wants.” I do not know what “the establishment” means, nor do I understand what “the system” refers to, but that is what many people kept saying.
“Most of the officials on the field yesterday, many of whom are government employees, admitted they were afraid. They said that if they acted in due process, they could lose their jobs. Some individuals were reportedly threatened that if they did not comply, they would face consequences.
“In essence, the election was neither free nor fair. There were widespread irregularities across different local governments, wards, and polling units. We do not even know the true outcome of what transpired, but we know our supporters, we know how they voted, and we know how they were intimidated and chased away from voting centres.
“For these reasons, the election, which has been described as free and fair, should be cancelled because it does not meet the standards of a credible democratic process.
“First, agents were not present to sign many of the declared results. Second, there were places where elections did not hold, yet results were still written and announced. We do not know how those figures were generated.
“Third, in some places where voting actually commenced, supporters were terrorized and chased away before results were later written and documented.
“Fourth, there were wards where elections were properly conducted and votes counted, but such results were cancelled over questionable reasons. Ward 3 in Ido/Osi Local Government is an example.
“As someone contesting under the platform of the APC for the first time, I am deeply disappointed. I am no longer certain that the APC truly believes in democracy. What I witnessed yesterday was not democracy; it was intimidation and suppression of the people’s will.
“We know what democracy stands for, and we know what our people want, but what happened yesterday fell far short of expectations.
“This press briefing is part of the next step I intend to take. In the next hour, I will also be speaking with television and radio stations. Beyond that, I will formally submit a petition to the National Chairman of the APC in Abuja. That process is already underway.
“If the election had truly been free and fair, I do not think anyone would be making these complaints. Another aspirant, Senator Ayo Arise, has also raised concerns this morning, which shows how flawed the exercise was. We are not the only people complaining; many party members and citizens are dissatisfied with what has happened over the last 24 hours.