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The Governor of Ekiti State, Kayode Fayemi has severely knocked the former lampooned the former National Chairman of the All Progressive Congress (APC) Comrade Adam Oshiomhole over a reported claim that he was once asked him to help him rig the party’s primaries.
It will be recalled that Oshiomholewhile featuring on a political programme aired on Channels TV on Monday, alleged Fayemi asked him to rig while serving as APC National Chairman.
According to Oshiomhole, Fayemi asked him to impose his preferred candidates but he told him that he can’t be used as an instrument to commit electoral fraud.
He said: “I said it in one of the meetings I had with Governor Kayode Fayemi who told me bluntly to my face that ‘chairman what we are saying is that, you can go and conduct an election to fulfil all righteousness but when we say this is the person that should emerge just make sure he is the person that emerges’
“And I told Fayemi that ‘that would be your own portion, not me’. I cannot be used as an instrument of fraud, to invite people to buy forms when I have already decided, regardless of how people will vote, this is the man that will prevail.
“You want to use me for such a purpose, I said no, I said at worst, if you find the number to get rid of me as the chairman, I will rather leave the job with my honour than sacrifice my honour to keep the job”.
Reacting, Fayemi, through his Chief Press Secretary, Yinka Oyebode, dismissed Oshiomhole’s allegation as a figment of imagination and synchronised attempts to malign his uncompromising democratic credentials and hard-earned integrity.
He said that he had never for once asked Oshiomhole to rig any intra-party election
He challenged Oshiomole to provide the public with real fact of his unsubstantiated claims if it was true that the Governor approached him to manipulate election in his favour.
Oyebode urged members of the public to disregard the allegations the allegation as he was still experiencing a post- traumatic disorder on account of his removal as the APC chairman, which he said he was not responsible for.
“The attention of the Governor of Ekiti State and Presidential Aspirant on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Dr Kayode Fayemi, has been drawn to a spurious allegation by a former National Chairman of the party, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, that the Governor once asked him to rig an election in his favour.
“The allegation, which was made on national television, is not only false, puerile and laughable, it is a figment of the imagination of the former APC Chairman as Governor Fayemi has never asked Oshiomhole to rig an election for him or any other person and never had any reason to ask for such.
“It is on record, Governor Fayemi was not responsible for Comrade Oshiomhole’s removal as Chairman of the APC. He has his ward executives and the courts to blame for that.
“He has always considered Oshiomhole a friend and political associate even if they had fundamental differences over his kangaroo approach of disqualifying Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State, from the APC primaries and his unconscionable autocratic management of party affairs whilst he was chairman of the party.
“For the avoidance of doubt, Governor Fayemi has no reason to approach Comrade Oshiomhole for favours for any election. Governor Fayemi has a stellar track record of being a consummate democrat even in difficult times.
“Many Nigerians can easily recall his historic concession speech in 2014 in an election that was clearly lost to electoral sleight of hand at the behest of the then People’s Democratic Party (PDP) –led Federal Government.
“Others will also recall how he spent years in court patiently pursuing the retrieval of his stolen mandate between 2007 and 2010. He has demonstrated nothing but decency, decorum and fidelity to the rule of law in all his years in politics and public office,” Oyebode said.”,
