Ekiti State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has filed a petition challenging the result of the June 21 governorship election before the Elections Petition Tribunal in Ado-Ekiti.

Interim Chairman of Ekiti State APC, Chief Jide Awe, told newsmen yesterday that he submitted the petition on behalf of the party to the tribunal at the weekend since the law allows the tribunal to also operate during weekends.

According to him, the petition sought the assistance of the tribunal to “unravel the hidden fact surrounding the election,” saying the poll was more of “a mechanical exercise than conventional casting of votes.”

Awe said the party did not want to take laws into its hands or resort to self-help, hence its decision to toe the constitutional and peaceful line of seeking redress in the open court.

“The results of the election were embarrassing to us as a party and we hold the view that there is no smoke without fire,” he said.

He clarified that the petition filed by the party was not at variance with the earlier position of Governor Kayode Fayemi, who accepted defeat and congratulated Ayo Fayose of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) who was declared winner by INEC.

“The governor,” he said, “does not own the party. It is the party that owns the governor, and so the party can decide for him.

“You will observe that there is no name of Dr Kayode Fayemi on the ballot papers. What was contained on it was the name of the party and its logo. So, the issue is beyond the governor.

“Let it be known to you that our candidate, Dr Fayemi, only conceded victory to guarantee continued peace that was prevalent in the state at the time, as well as allow the siege on the state by the military to cease.

“You can see that as soon as he announced that he had accepted defeat, the soldiers immediately vacated the state.”

On details of the petition, the APC chieftain disclosed that it centred mainly on alleged manipulation, undue militarisation, impeachment of the governor-elect during his first term in office as well as the EFCC’s cases hanging on him.

He said Fayose was not qualified in the first place to partake in the election exercise, aside from the conduct of the poll, which he said was faulty.

Reacting, chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state, Mr. Makanjuola Ogundipe, has said “the APC is going there to chase shadows.”

Ogundipe said yesterday in a telephone interview that he was not surprised because “I knew that the APC would look for what to do to and by all means, too, to remain in the news, following their crushing at the election.

“It would be interesting to see what they have this time against an election that has been the talk of the entire world in terms of credibility, fairness, organisation and security. Even the people of the state, who voted massively for the candidate of our party, Mr. Fayose, would laugh at the mockery the APC is out to make of itself at the tribunal.

“It is either its natural mischief or usual deliberate deception of the people that has made it to act in feigned ignorance of extant court judgements on the issues it took to the tribunal to challenge the election.

“If not for routine academic exercise or a ploy to remain in the news for the sake of its propagandist ideals, we wonder why the APC has been the only component of the election that has seen or heard what all the other stakeholders in the entire process, including the good people of Ekiti State, have not seen or heard, but we are ready for its mischief and deceit.”

Ogundipe said “the PDP is not in the least bothered by their ranting and will meet at the tribunal,” and added that “as usual, the PDP had decided to chase shadows like it did when it was defeated in Ondo and Anambra states.”

He charged the people of the state and members and supporters of PDP in the state “not to panic or worry, as they await the smooth takeover of government from the APC government they themselves have discredited.”

•Based on reports from National Mirror and Nigerian Tribune. Photo shows Ekiti State Governor-elect Ayo Fayose.

Update news