2023: Protest rocks NW/SW federal constituency over mutilated delegates’ list
2023: Protest rocks NW/SW federal constituency over mutilated delegates’ list
Six House of Representatives aspirants on the platform of All Progressives Congress (APC) for Ibadan North West/South West federal constituency have petitioned the APC Election Appeal Committee over alleged mutilated delegates’ list, non-conduct of the primary election in the federal constituency, and purported declaration of one of the aspirants as winner of the primary that never took place.
The six petitioners, among the eight aspirants, are a former member of the House of Representatives, Mrs. Folake Olunloyo-Oshinowo, as well as Otunba Rotimi Ajanaku, Biodun Ikumoguniyi, Samuel Ajadi, Temitope Oyewale, and Fasola Mutahir. They have requested for a new date for the conduct of the primary in the federal constituency.
The seventh aspirant, Kehinde Subair, a former majority leader of Oyo State House of Assembly, did not sign the petition. Thepetitioners alleged that a former Reps member, Hon. Saheed Akinade-Fijabi, was declared winner even when no Primary election took place.
The petition, which was addressed to the Chairman of the Appeal Committee, Oyo State Primary Elections of APC, through the secretary of the Oyo State Election Appeal Panel Committee, showed the collective grievances of the aspirants about the primary election that was supposed to have taken place on Friday May 27, 2022 at Lafia Hotel, Apata, Ibadan, which was the agreed venue between the primary election committee chairman, the APC chairman in the state, and the party’s chairmen in the two local governments in the constituency.
According to the petitioners, “the aspirants approached the Electoral Committee at Lafia Hotel and demanded for the delegates’ list, which was produced but happened to have been partly typed, handwritten, and mutilated. It was also not in the format that the party representative from Abuja told us it would be earlier at the meeting held at Premier Hotel on Friday morning.
“We were told – all eight aspirants, on Friday morning that the INEC official would come with a delegate list that would have an INEC stamp on it. The list was to be cross-checked with the list that would be given to the party chairman before the election would take place.
“We asked to be shown the list on Friday at the meeting that held in Premier Hotel. But the INEC representative and the state party chairman denied the request. On getting to the Lafia Hotel, venue for the primary, the eight aspirants held a meeting and came to a unanimous decision not to go ahead with the primary if the delegates’ list has been tampered with and not as the party representative from Abuja advised it would be.
“When we got to the hall to meet the electoral committee, we requested for the list and what we got were mutilated sheets with cancelled names and handwritten names on it. We were told the list was given to the committee by the two local governments party chairmen. The INEC stamp was not on the list presented. While waiting for a new date to be fixed for the election, to our greatest surprise, we found out in electronic media that one of the aspirants in the person of Hon. Saheed Akinade Fijabi, has been declared the winner of a primary election that never took place.”
The petitioner therefore called on the Appeal Committee to look into the matter and fix an appropriate date for the conduct of a proper Primary election.