I Was Slapped For Challenging Fraud At Ekiti APC Primary – Senatorial Aspirant

The former Commissioner for Information in Ekiti state, Hon Kayode Otitoju has narrated how a certain political thug attacked him at the state secretariat of the All Progressives Congress (APC,) where he had gone to challenge alleged fraud in the Ekiti North Senatorial Primary.

Hon Kayode Otitoju

Speaking with journalists on Sunday at the Ajilosun Office of the party after submitting his protest letter, Otitoju alleged that there was no primary in Ekiti North.

However, on Friday Dr. Ibrahim Sule-led APC Senatorial Primary Committee in the state declared Senator Olubunmi Adetumbi, declared winner by polling 21,763 votes.

Otitoju said, “The electoral officers came to Ikole that day and when they heard that some people were shooting, they took cover at the Area Commander’s office and by the time normalcy returned around 4 p.m. heavy rain started and the officers returned to Ado Ekiti.

“When I saw that they were going, I gave them a hot chase to our Secretariat and I lodged a complaint with the committee’s chairman and the State Chairman of our party, Barrister Paul Omotoso. I was even slapped by a thug for daring to stay to confront the panel.

“Two journalists who tried to interview me were also beaten and their phones and ipad smashed,” he narrated.

Three House of Representatives aspirants from the district, Bimbo Daramola, Bunmi Ogunleye and Femi Ajayi, had on Saturday expressed similar protest, saying the election was allegedly manipulated by then committee sent from Abuja to conduct the primary, in collaboration with politicians and security agencies.

Registering his protest at the APC party Secretariat in Ado Ekiti on Sunday, the former Ekiti Information Commissioner said there was no election in the five local governments that constitute the district on that day, alleging that the figures were concocted in Adetumbi’s favour using security as a cover.

Otitoju, who hailed from Odo Oro in Ikole Local Government, demanded that the NWC should cancel the primary or in the alternative declare him the winner on account of his unblemished track record and having come from a council that had not produced a Senator since the advent of democracy in 1999 in the district.

He explained how political thugs working for one of the aspirants had slapped and manhandled him at the party Secretariat on Friday, while making spirited efforts to lodge a complaint before the committee.

“There are two options left for the party under this circumstance, either they order a rerun of the primary by not recognising Senator Adetumbi or declare me the winner on personal recognition.

“Out of the five local governments in Ekiti North, only Ikole has not produced a Senator since 1999 and this may be an opportunity to ensure political balancing, because there was nowhere in the 56 wards where election was held; it was brazenly concocted in Adetumbi’s favour and this can’t stand.

“As an aspirant, I bought nomination form at the cost of N7 million at the party’s Secretariat in Abuja. Ninety APC members across the five councils in our district signed for me, including 56 ward chairmen. I was duly screened and cleared for the contest and I don’t think it was right to have been treated this way,” he stated.

He said that if the party goes ahead and recognises Senator Adetumbi with the alleged fake results, he would have no option than to go to court to seek redress.