Oyo APC: No Primary Was Conducted – 6 Aspirants Kick Against Imposition, Fault Fijabi’s Self Declaration As Ibadan Northwest- Southwest Federal Constituency’s Flagbearer

Oyo APC: No Primary Was Conducted – 6 Aspirants Kick Against Imposition, Fault Fijabi’s Self Declaration As Ibadan Northwest- Southwest Federal Constituency’s Flagbearer.

Barely 48 hours after the primary election into the House of Representatives’ seat of Ibadan Northwest and Southwest Federal Constituency was unanimously agreed upon to be postponed by all aspirants, having observed some irregularities in the list of delegates for the primary election, one of the aspirants has come out to announce himself as the winner of the yet to be conducted primary through his official Facebook account and tribune online”, other aspirants lamented.

“Hon. Saheed Fijabi who announced his victory could not categorically state figures of results scored by himself and other aspirants in the said contest which he claimed took place on Sunday 29th May 2023 at an unidentified location”, they stated.

In a swift reaction, other aspirants who are still awaiting the party’s directive inline with their last Friday May 27, 2022 resolution on postponement rejected the self declaration and action in its totality.

Six out of the other aspirants who were present at the Lafia Hotel, Apata, the designated venue of their earlier postponed primary today 30 May, 2022 condemned the illegality.

While addressing news men, Hon. Folake Olunloyo-Osinowo, Mogaji Samuel Kola Ajadi, Otunba Rotimi Ajanaku, Mr. Biodun Ikumoguniyi, Mr. Temitope Oyewale, and Mr. Mutair Fasola expressed their displeasure and described it as unacceptable, undemocratic and extreme display of desperation to subvert the will of the majority.

While promising to halt this impunity through legal action, they informed news men and party loyalists present that they have submitted a copy of their petition to the appeal committee of the party in the state and they are optimistic that the appeal committee will correct this absurdity.

In the words of one of the aspirants,”How will someone who was rejected by the people in the last general election be forcing himself through back door after leading the call for postponement just few days ago”. The six aspirants call on the national chairman of the party through the appeal committee to urgently look into their appeal and fix a new date for the primary.

While briefing news men, Oyewale, who spoke on behalf of other aspirants, said that they unanimously agreed to suspend the primaries as a result of alleged fake delegates list presented last Friday the May 27, 2022.

He said that, they had earlier been told that an authentic delegates’ list would bear the stamp of APC, INEC and presented with the party’s letter head paper.”But When we got to the hall to meet the electoral committee, we requested for the list and what we got were mutilated sheets with cancelled names and some handwritten names on it. We were told that the list was given to the committee by the two local government party chairmen. The INEC stamp was not on the list presented as expected and we all agreed not to go ahead with the primary, but we are surprised that Hon. Saheed Fijabi who was a leading figure in the call for the rejection of the mutilated delegates’ list and postponement can now declare himself the winner of a primary that never took place.

In his own remark, Otunba Rotimi Ajanaku called for calm and appealed to angry party members present. He, as well, informed all people present that they had submitted their demands to the committee and expecting positive response from them very soon. He added that if the party Appeal Committee could not meet their demands, they will challenge the whole process in court.

While corroborating Ajanaku’s stand, Mogaji Kola Ajadi said that what they were demanding from the committee was simply a new date for the conduct of the election.

According to him,“What we are asking for right now is for them to give us a date when the primary election will be conducted as soon as possible,”

“We have submitted our demands to the committee that they should give us a date as soon as possible to conduct the primary election.

While Hon. Folake Olunloyo-Oshinowo expressed their confidence in the Appeal Committee that they will do the needful on time, Mr. Ikumoguniyi and Mr Fasola could not, respectively, hide their disappointments in the desperation of Hon. Fijabi’s attempt to get the ticket through the back door. Mr. Fasola added that such aspirants is not qualify to represent the good people of Ibadan Northwest/Southwest Federal Constituency and should be disqualified.

Aside from Hon Fijabi, only Hon. Kenhinde Subaru was absent at the media briefing. Other aspirants reported that all effort to get him failed as he was not picking his calls.