APC Members Celebrate Fayemi’s Victory At Election Tribunal

APC Members Celebrate Fayemi’s Victory At Election Tribunal

It was celebration galore on Monday in Ado Ekiti, the Ekiti state capital, as the Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Abuja upheld the election of Governor Kayode Fayemi.

As the reports filtered into town that the election of Fayemi, who was the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the July 14, governorship poll in the state, members of the party, supporters and admirers of the governor trooped to the streets in the state capital to celebrate the verdict.

The party members who were wielding brooms danced from Odo Ado area to the government house and ended their procession at the party’s secretariat in Ajilosun area of the capital city.

The Election Tribunal, headed by Justice Sulaiman Belgore while delivering its judgement, said Fayemi was validly elected in the  Governorship election, contrary to the position canvassed by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its candidate, Professor Kolapo Olusola.

Fayemi polled a total of 197,459 to defeat Olusola , who scored a total votes of 178, 022 to emerge a runner-up.

The Tribunal began sitting in Ekiti last year August before it relocated to Abuja citing cases of insecurity in the state.

The jubilant APC members, led by a House of Representatives candidate in Ekiti Central federal constituency I, Hon Sola Fatoba and Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Mobilisation, Hon Tunji Ogunlola were seen dancing to the music being supplied by a popular musician in Ekiti and the long convoy of vehicles caused traffic logjam along Ado-Ikere-Akure road.

Meanwhile, the state chapter of APC has described the victory as expected, saying it won the election fair and square.

Speaking with journalists in Ado Ekiti yesterday, the State Deputy Chairman of the party, Hon Sola Elesin said they are happy over the outcome of the election, but not in any way surprised, because the conduct of the election was free, fair and transparent.

He said, “It was clear that Governor Fayemi won fair and square, so we are not afraid even if they want to appeal the judgement, we are ready for them , because we have no skeleton in our cupboard. There were no cases of electoral malpractices”.

Elesin who also spoke on the claims that the shake -up in the judiciary leading to the suspension of the Chief Justice of Nigeria(CJN), Justice Walter Onnoghen was part of the alleged plot by APC to win at the Tribunal ,  said: “They only wanted to damage the reputation of the judiciary .

“We had won two litigations since Fayemi came on board. He was taken to the court on his eligibility to contest the APC governorship primary and he won. He was taken to the Election petition Tribunal, he also came out victorious. We will continue to win because we have no skeleton in our cupboard”, he said.

The PDP candidate in the governorship election and petitioner in the case, Professor Olusola, has however, said the party will appeal the Tribunal judgement.

Olusola, who spoke through the Director of Media of his campaign organization, Lere Olayinka said: “That is not the last bus stop as regards the election petition Tribunal.

“The law is very clear regarding the hierarchies of courts we can approach to seek redress on this issue. We are surely going to appeal the judgement”, Olusola said.

 Olusola has also described the tribunal judgment as perversion of truth of the highest order and rape of democracy.

A separate statement by his media aide, Mr Onaopemipo Akinloye, Olusola  said the judgment  of the tribunal upholding the fraud called ‘victory’ of Dr Kayode Fayemi cannot stand because it doesn’t represent the truth.

Olusola who vowed to challenge the judgment at the appeal court, said he was surprised despite the avalanche of evidence of massive electoral fraud committed by the APC and the INEC which he placed before the tribunal, the tribunal still uphold Fayemi’s election.

He therefore appealed to his numerous supporters and PDP members to remain calm and continue in their prayers, assuring that victory will come their way soon.