From Wole Balogun, Ado-Ekiti and Ndubuisi Orji, Abuja
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has condemned Ondo State’s governorship election and has called for its cancellation, accusing the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of complicity.
A statement signed by the party’s Publicity Secretary, Prince Dayo Adeyeye described the election as a charade and not the true reflection of the will of the people of the state.
“INEC has graduated from inconclusive elections as seen in Kogi, Bayelsa, Osun, Imo, Nassarawa states, Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and some other previous by-elections in the country to ‘advanced election rigging’, as was the case of Edo and Ondo states governorship election.
“It is common knowledge that the APC agents openly bought votes of the electorate in the full glare of security operatives who did nothing to prevent such dastardly violation of the electoral law.
“In view of the fact that the election was manipulated from the beginning to the end, we vehemently reject the results of the Saturday, November 26, 2016 governorship election in Ondo. We have instructed Jegede and the Ondo chapter of our party to proceed to the election petition tribunal to challenge the outcome of the poll. We call on the judiciary to redeem Nigeria’s image on this matter as we request for the cancellation of Ondo election.”
Elsewhere, factional PDP Deputy National Chairman, Dr. Cairo Ojougboh, attributed the party’s loss to impunity and lack of respect for the party’s constitution.
Ojougboh, who is of the Senator Ali Modu-Sheriff faction, said this at a press conference, in Abuja, yesterday.
He traced the crisis in Ondo PDP to Mimiko’s return which consequently led to a mass exodus of party stalwarts from the party.
Besides, he accused Mimiko of foisting Mr. Eyitayo Jegede on the PDP as its governorship candidate, “thereby deepening the rift in the party. All the PDP members, led by Olusola Oke left the PDP for him. In choosing a candidate to succeed him, he did not allow the PDP members to buy forms. He mainly anointed Jegede.
Ojougboh said the party could have also lost the entire South South if President (Goodluck) Jonathan does not hail from the region.
Meanwhile Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose has described Federal High Court Abuja judge, Justice Okon Abang as “a cancer that is capable of destroying the Judiciary in Nigeria, if nothing is done to curb his excesses.”
The governor claimed Abang “is seeing his position as a judge, as a means of getting at anyone that is opposed to him. Just because I criticised him and called for his sack, based on his fraudulent practises, as established by the Court of Appeal, in its judgment on August 18, 2016 and November 24, 2016, he hurriedly granted an interlocutory order against me on a matter pending before another judge.”
Speaking through his Special Assistant on Public Communications and New Media, Lere Olayinka, the governor reiterated his call to the National Judicial Council (NJC) to save the Judiciary from Abang’s embarrassment by sending him out of the Bench.
