By Roundoffnews
One of the House of Representatives aspirant on the platform of the All Progressives Congress APC, has called for the cancellation of the Friday’s purported primary election for Akoko Southwest and Akoko Southest Federal Constituency in Ondo state.
He called for a fresh election to be conducted within the federal Consituency as against the illegal one said to have been conducted in Akure, the state capital
The election which was scheduled to hold at Saint Patrick Secondary School, Iwaro Oka in the Consituency was moved to the Dome in Akure and produced Mr Gboyega Adefarsti son of the former governor of the State, Chief Adebayo Adefarati as winner.
Ategbole in the letter titled “Prevention From And Non Participation In The Primary Election Of The House Of Representatives, Akoko South East/ South West Federal Constituency, Ondo State” and dated 28 May, 2022 said the election did not hold and called on the Appeal Committee to reject the charade said to have been done at the Dome.
In the letter, Dr Ategbole said:
“| wish to put on record that I was not part of and never participated in the election said to have taken place inside the Dome in Akure on the same day where a dubious six (6) votes was allocated to me.
1.That as an aspirant, I fulfilled all the conditions set by the party for qualification to contest the election and was duly cleared for the election billed for the 27 May 2021 at Saint Patrick Secondary School, lwaro oka — Akoko
- That and my supporters were at the venue for the election like other aspirants and their supporters.
- That at around 5: pm we heard information that the election was to be conducted in Akure. I made efforts to confirm from officials quarters including the security agents who denied any knowledge of such change of venue.
Dr Ategbole in the letter added that the primary election was removed from the venue without necessary cogent reasons other than to disenfranchise him and three other aspirants and designed to “favour Gboyega Adefarati ( the purported eventual winner ) at the charade at the Dome.”
While condemning and dissociating himself from the poll, Ategbole said he never participate in the purported election that took place at the Dome on 27th May 2022 and did not send a representative, adding that such an “important election like that cannot be conducted in proxy.”
According to him:
- That at about 5:45pm one Dr. Mrs. Oshadaun the Commissioner For Women Affair in Ondo State came into the arena to inform the people that Mr. Governor has directed that the election be moved to the Dome in Akure. Not being an official source of the party or INEC, we could not follow her directive.
- That at the period the directive of Mr. Governor was given it was impossible to get transportation to carry the delegates and no official arrangement was made by the party.
- That our people including the three aspirants present namely, Hon. Ade Adeogun, Dr. Adaniken, Hon. Adeyeri (ASK) and myself Or. Ategbole rejected the strange directive.
- That I was surprise when I heard on the news from various sources including the social media that an election had been conducted at the Dome where I was allocated six vote. I never participated in the election. I did not instruct anyone to act on my behaif.
- That never receive the delegate list, I did not receive any official information for the change of the venue, all security agencies were present at Iwaro Oka and no violent took place.
- 1 also did not participate in the primary that took place at the Dome in Akure.
My request
- That your committee should discountenance the said primary at the Dome and the result as illegal, null and void for not meeting the requirement of the electoral law and the party constitution.
- That a new primary election according to the extant laws be conducted for the Federal Contingency at the venue within the Federal