Ekiti 2018: Olusola goes to court to challenge Fayemi’s victory

2018 election in Ekiti State may have come and gone, but the wounds sustained by major players are to be healed, while intrigues surrounding the election are yet to die down. This is as the incumbent Deputy Governor of the state and Peoples Democratic Party’s gubernatorial candidate in the election, Prof. Kolapo Olusola, has headed for the Election Petition Tribunal to challenge the victory of his opponent and governor-elect, Dr. Kayode Fayemi of the All Progressives Congress (APC) at the just concluded poll.

Olusola who came to submit his 700 paged petition at the tribunal in the company of some of the PDP chieftains in the state wants the court to set aside the victory of his opponent who was declared winner of the poll by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and declare him winner of the poll, as he is insisting that he scored the highest number of lawful votes cast at the July 14 poll.

Recall that according to the results officially released by INEC, Fayemi got a total of 197, 459 to defeat Olusola, who polled 178, 121 votes.

Infonet9ja.com gathered that Olusola and his team were at the court on Friday to beat the deadline of statutory 21-day allowed by the provisions of the Electoral Act 2010 (as amended) for aggrieved candidates to file his or her petition.

Olusola explained that the team of lawyers that will defend his petition will be led by an Ilorin, Kwara State-based Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Malam Yusuf Ali.

Speaking with journalists after filing the petition, Olusola accused the APC and INEC of what he described as “brazen robbery” and manipulation of the poll’s outcome by people he described as “political desperadoes” using the paraphernalia of the Federal Government to allegedly rig, snatch and falsify the result of the poll.

“Today, 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.

“Like I have maintained, I am challenging the election 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.

“Without doubt, 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 election 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.

“Without doubt, 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.

“As law abiding citizens of our country, the only path of honour to take in a situation like this is the process that we have initiated today, to seek redress against the use of security forces and other instruments of the federal government to suppress the will of our people.

“Sadly, the desperation of the APC to take over all States in the country, especially those under governors like Dr. Ayodele Fayose perceived as uncompromising has destroyed all the gains made by the PDP government regarding free, fair and credible elections.

“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.

“In doing this, 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. I therefore want Ekiti people to keep hope alive, remain strong and resolute in their belief in God.

“While we go through this judicial walk to exposing the electoral thievery of July 14, 2018, 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.

“I also want to use this opportunity to condemn the indefinite closure of the State Radio and Television stations. No doubt, the closure of the radio and television stations was part of the grand plan to sustain the inglorious use of naked force to rob Ekiti people of their democratic rights, but the people will triumph ultimately,” Olusola stated.

A member of Olusola’s legal team to Olusola, Mr. Ola Olanipekun, a Senior Advocate, said what their client was requesting for is outright cancellation and nullification of the election that produced yet-to-be sworn-in governor and to declare Olusola winner of the July 14, poll.

Olanipekun who boasted that the team was well prepared with handful of evidences stated “By the time the hearing begins, we are going to prove cases of falsification of results, ballot snatching, ballot stuffing and use of powers to subvert the will of the people.

“By the time we do this, the whole world can judge whose the actual winner was. We are confident that justice will be done in this case, we are sure that our client shall get justice.