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Aspirants seek fresh primary for Ibadan North West, South West constituencies

By Seye Olumide, South-West Bureau Chief, Ibadan
31 May 2022   |   2:54 am
Seven aggrieved aspirants on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for Ibadan North-West/South-West Federal Constituencies in Oyo State, including Mrs. Folake Olunloyo Oshinowo

[files] A flag showing Nigeria’s ruling political party, the All Progressive Congress (APC), logo is seen outside the party’s National Convention, in Abuja, Nigeria, March 26, 2022. (Photo by Kola Sulaimon / AFP)

Demand authentic delegates’ list with INEC stamp

Seven aggrieved aspirants on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for Ibadan North-West/South-West Federal Constituencies in Oyo State, including Mrs. Folake Olunloyo Oshinowo, Mogaji S.K. Ajadi, Rotimi Ajanaku, Temitope Oyewale, Biodun Ikumoguniyi, Kehinde Subair and Fashola Mutahir, yesterday, petitioned the party’s election appeal committee over the primary election that was supposed to have been held on Friday, May 27, 2022, but was stalled owing to unavailability of authentic delegates’ list.

In a petition to the committee, the aspirants insisted that no primary election took place at Lafia Hotel, Apata, saying that Saheed Akinlade Fijabi couldn’t have gone ahead to declare himself the winner of an election that didn’t take place.

The petition reads: “We the undersigned hereby collectively render our grievances about the primary election that was supposed to have taken place on Friday, May 27, 2022, at the Lafia Hotel, Apata as agreed by the Committee Chairman, Dr. Tayo Adewakun; Oyo APC Chairman, Isaac Omodewu and the two local council chairmen for the Ibadan North West/South-West Federal Constituency.

“The aspirants approached the electoral committee at Lafia Hotel and demanded 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 that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) official will come with a delegates’ list that will have the commission’s stamp on it. The list is to be cross-checked with the list that will be given to the party chairman before the election takes place.

“We asked to be shown the list on Friday at the meeting that was held in Premier Hotel but the INEC representative and the state party chairman denied the request.

“On getting to the Lafia venue for the primary election, 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 will be.

“When we got to the hall to meet with 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 government party chairmen. The INEC stamp was not on the list presented.

“While waiting for a new date to be given for the election, we found out on electronic media that one of the aspirants, Saheed Akinade Fijabi, has been declared the winner of a primary election that never took place.”

They, therefore, urged the national headquarters of the APC to ensure that the authentic delegates’ list for the primary is produced while expecting a new date to be fixed.

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