PDP files 700-page petition against Ekiti elections seeking to overturn Fayemi's victory

EKITI State deputy governor Professor Kolapo Olusola Eleka has formally petitioned the Election Tribunal over the July 14 gubernatorial polls that took place in the state submitting a 700-page affidavit demanding that her be declared the winner of the contest.

Last month, Professor Eleka stood as the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate against former governor Dr Kayode Fayemi, who stood as the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate. Following the election, Dr Kayode Fayemi declared the winner by the Independent National Electoral Commission (Inec) with 197,459 votes to that of 178,121 secured by Professor Eleka.

However, the PDP has never accepted the result of the elections, claiming the ruling APC used the security forces to intimidate its supporters. Yesterday, the party took the matter further when Professor Eleka, along with his running mate, Deji Ogunsakin and a member of his legal team, Ola Olanipekun arrived the state high court in Ado Ekiti to submit a formal petition.

According to Professor Eleka, Dr Fayemi stole his mandate and his petition claimed that he had empirical evidence to show that figures were falsified in favour of the APC candidate. He also alleged that ballot boxes were either stuffed or snatched, while there was intimidation of voters and party agents from polling booths.

Professor Eleka said: "The election was openly manipulated by political desperadoes, using instruments of the federal government. I am challenging the election results not out of desperation to be governor but for reasons of future and posterity and largely on behalf of the people of Ekiti, who were taken aback by the outcome of the election

”Without doubt, the will of the people was subverted by those who have chosen to take Nigeria back to the dark days of ballot stuffing, ballot boxes snatching and outright falsification of election results and I believe they deserve to get justice. As law abiding citizens of our country, the only path of honour to take in a situation like this is the process that we have initiated today, to seek redress against the use of security forces and other instruments of the federal government to suppress the will of our people."

During the elections, both parties were accused of trying to bribe voters by offering them cash handouts and food items with the APC accused of dishing out N4,000  and the PDP offering N7,000 to individuals. Heating up the atmosphere more, the Ekiti Broadcast Service became the first casualty of the illegal circulation of results after it was shut indefinitely yesterday by the National Broadcasting Commission for breaching the provisions of Nigeria's Broadcasting Code (NBC) by allowing Governor Fayose to declare election results before Inec announced them.

Professor Eleka added: "The mood of Ekiti people when the beneficiary of the electoral robbery was declared winner and up till today is a pointer to the resolve of the people not to accept the subversion of their will and we have answered their calls to use the judiciary to get back their mandate. In doing this, I have presented overwhelming discrepancies in the results declared by Inec to the tribunal to adjudicate upon and I am confident that the popular mandate of the people of Ekiti will not go unrestored.

”I therefore want Ekiti people to keep hope alive, remain strong and resolute in their belief in God. While we go through this judicial walk to exposing the electoral thievery of July 14, 2018, we urge the good people of Ekiti State, especially my teeming supporters to remain calm, peaceful and prayerful, bearing in mind that those who stole their mandate will not enjoy the benefits for long.”

Outgoing Governor Ayo Fayose had already lambasted the security agencies for allegedly supervising vote buying and ballot snatching in some wards in Ado Ekiti and Ikole. Despite being the central character of the contest, Governor Fayose has kept a low profile since the elections.