Barrister Victor Olumuyiwa Kolade, popularly known as VOK, has rejected the outcome of Saturday’s All Progressives Congress (APC) House of Representatives primary for his constituency, describing the exercise as filthy and lacking credibility.
Speaking at a press briefing in Ado-Ekiti on Sunday, Kolade said the conduct of the primary fell far short of expectations and undermined the party’s commitment to internal democracy.
“To the best of my knowledge, the exercise is a filthy one. Very filthy exercise. Disappointing, and above all, there’s nothing quite encouraging to write home about it,” he said.
Kolade said 99% of party faithful did not expect what transpired, noting that the process contradicted the direct primary directive issued by President Bola Tinubu.
“How can we renew our hope when the foundation is false? We are starting on a very wrong foundation. Very, very wrong build-up,” he stated.
According to Kolade, he was declared to have received 2,096 votes while his opponent was allocated 6,000 votes, despite his claim of being the candidate to beat across the three local governments in the constituency comprising Efon, Ijero, and Ekiti West Local Government Areas of Ekiti State.
He alleged that the process lacked accreditation, identification, and use of the party register, and that returning officers were appointed by party stakeholders rather than independent officials.
Kolade also said Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) officials on ground did not have documents for signing and did not conduct the counting in some wards.
“In some wards, the returning officer counted, not the INEC people,” he alleged.
The aspirant questioned the discrepancy between figures recorded by INEC and those released by the party, asking whether the announced results were signed off by INEC.
He called on party stakeholders to address what happened, warning that suppressing the voice of the masses would have consequences.
“When people are spoken and you don’t let their views, you suppress it. Definitely, the law of nature is going to catch up. If you don’t meet it now, you’ll meet it somewhere else,” he said.
On next steps, Kolade said he would explore all avenues provided by the party’s rules and guidelines, including the appeal committee and, if necessary, the courts.
“The party has rules and guidelines, and any disgruntled party member has avenues laid down by the party. After the appeal committee, if you feel dissatisfied, then you can take the next step,” he said.
Kolade urged his supporters to remain calm and avoid violence, stating that he was “an agent of peace.”
He called for the cancellation of the results and the conduct of a fresh primary where justice will prevail.
