Ondo Election Fayose says INEC 'awarded' Akeredolu victory

Gov Fayose has blamed the INEC for allegedly favouring the APC candidate, Akeredolu in the Ondo governorship election.

Ekiti state Governor, Ayodele Fayose has condemned the recently concluded election in Ondo State saying INEC should be blamed.

Fayose lamented the outcome of the governorship election saying the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had connived with the All Progressives Congress (APC) to rig.

In a statement released on Sunday by his special assistant on Public Communications and New Media, Lere Olayinka, Fayose said that “just as I would have loved to congratulate the winner, Mr Rotimi Akeredolu (SAN), because in every contest, there must be a winner and a loser, the role of INEC in awarding victory to him in the election left much to be desired.”

The statement further said: “INEC gave the APC victory in the election by deliberately replacing the name of Mr Eyitayo Jegede, the PDP candidate thereby creating legal logjam that lasted till three days to the election.”

Fayose also said, “the PDP went to the election with its hands tied to the back because of the uncharitable actions of INEC, which has no doubt become an arm of the APC.

“Dibo ko sebe (vote and collect money to cook soup) was the slang used by the APC in the Ondo State election and that only worked because the APC Federal Government have put Nigerians in abject poverty.”

He said further: “Even though INEC allowed what appeared like a free and fair atmosphere on the election day, the election had been won and lost before it was held.

“For instance, INEC that witnessed the PDP primary election that produced Mr Jegede, succumbed to pressure from the APC cabal to replace him with Jimoh Ibrahim, who did not take part in any primary election known to the Electoral Act.

“What could anyone have done under 72 hours in an election that was heavily monetised by the APC?

“The whole process was a deliberate sabotage by INEC, which has totally bastardised the electoral process. “Obviously, all these shenanigans are geared towards turning Nigeria to a one part state by weakening all opposition parties ahead of the 2019 general election but I can assure Nigerians that this will not last because the people will always defeat tyranny,” Fayose said.