Ekiti State Deputy Governor and candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party in the July 14th governorship election in the state, Prof Kolapo Olusola has taken his grievances to the election petition tribunal to challenge his defeat.
Olusola through a petition filed by his legal team led by Mallam Yusuf Ali (SAN); Mr Ola Olanipekun (SAN), asked the court to return his “stolen mandate” to him.
A member of the team, who told newsmen that their client was dissatisfied with the outcome of the election, hence the petition.
Olanipekun claimed that there were disregards to the rules of the conduct of the election.
Among others, Professor Olusola, in the over 700-page petition, prayed the tribunal to declare him the winner of the election, citing irregularities he said were allegedly committed during the conduct of the polls.
According to him, the election witnessed falsifications, ballot-stuffing and manipulation among other irregularities in the conduct of the election in the state.
Olusola said: “We have presented overwhelming discrepancies in the results declared by INEC to the tribunal to adjudicate upon and I am confident that the popular mandate of the people of Ekiti will not go unrestored.
“The will of the people was subverted by those who have chosen to take Nigeria back to the dark days of ballot stuffing, ballot boxes snatching and outright falsification of election results and I believe they deserve to get justice.
“I am challenging the results not out of desperation to be governor, but for reasons of future and posterity, and largely on behalf of the people of Ekiti, who were taken aback by the outcome of the election.
“I formally filed the much-expected petition against the results of the July 14, 2018 governorship election, which was openly manipulated by political desperadoes, using instruments of the federal government.
Olusola pointed out that as law-abiding citizens of Nigeria, the only path of honour to take in a situation like this is the process that we have initiated, to seek redress against the use of security forces and other instruments of the federal government to suppress the will of the people.
He further claimed that the desperation of the APC to take over all states in the country, especially those “under governors like Mr. Ayodele Fayose, perceived as uncompromising, has destroyed all the gains made by the PDP government regarding free, fair and credible elections.”
According to him, “the mood of Ekiti people when the beneficiary of the electoral robbery was declared winner and up till today, is a pointer to the resolve of the people not to accept the subversion of their will and we have answered their calls to use the judiciary to get back their mandate.”
Professor Olusola called on the people of the state to “keep hope alive, remain strong and resolute in their believe in God while we go through this
judicial walk to exposing the electoral thievery of July 14, 2018.”
He said we “urge the good people of Ekiti State, especially my teeming supporters to remain calm, peaceful, and prayerful, bearing in mind that those
who stole their mandate will not enjoy the benefits for long.”
Prof. Olusola Olubunmi, the PDP candidate, his deputy in the election, Deji Ogunsakin, PDP Chairman in Ekiti, Chief Gboyega Oguntuase and other PDP stalwarts were present at the tribunal.
Tribune
