The Ekiti South Federal Constituency l All Progressives Congress (APC) House of Representatives Candidate, Engr Toyin Okoro, has admonished the incumbent House of Representatives member, AVM Rufus Adeniyi Ojuawo (Rtd), to accept his defeat at the APC primary election, move on and stop orchestrating campaigns of calumny against his intending successor.
The APC House of Representatives candidate said he will not be destracted by what was called Ojuawo’s sponsored media report that he was “grilled over alleged contract fraud” by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC).
A statement in Abuja, on Friday, by the Toyin Okoro Campaign Council, stated that the APC Reps candidate only honoured the ICPC invitation to respond to a petition before, which he did as a law-abiding citizen of Nigeria.
“An invitation to clarify issues is a routine procedure and does not amount to guilt, indictment or conviction. But in his mischievous and desperate manner, Ojuawo, who is apparently behind the petition to the ICPC sponsored the media report aimed at discrediting the candidate of his own party just because he lost his bid to return to the House of Representatives in 2027,” the Campaign Council said.
The Campaign Council described Okoro as a law-abiding Nigerian with zero record of criminal activity or fraud, adding that “he has never been arrested, charged or convicted of any criminal offence in his life. He is a respected professional Engineer and public servant who served meritoriously.”
The statement read; “Engr. Toyin Okoro was invited by the ICPC to respond to a petition before it, which he has done as a law-abiding citizen.
Okoro allegedly operated as Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of a private company while serving as a Senior Legislative Aide at the National Assembly.
“We state categorically that Engr Toyin Okoro never broke any law as he duly resigned as Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of a private company when he was appointed as Senior Legislative Aide at the National Assembly.
“We also state that like others before it, this campaign of calumny, obviously orchestrated by Ojuawo, who was overwhelmingly defeated by Engr. Toyin Okoro at the APC primary election conducted in May 2026, will fail.
“It is important to note that since his defeat, Ojuawo has embarked on a relentless and desperate mission to truncate the mandate freely given to Engr. Okoro. His anti-democratic moves have been sequential.
“Before the primary election, Ojuawo petitioned the APC Screening Committee that screened aspirants, seeking the disqualification of Engr. Toyin Okoro. The Committee dismissed his petition for lack of merit and cleared him (Okoro) to contest.
“In the same vein, he sponsored another frivolous petition challenging the origin of Engr. Toyin Okoro as a bona fide son of Ise-Ekiti. This also failed woefully as his (Okoro) root and indigeneship are incontestable and well documented.
“Having failed at the party level, Ojuawo has approached the court challenging the outcome of a primary election he lost woefully. The matter is subjudice and we are confident the judiciary will uphold the will of the people.
“Realizing that all his moves have collapsed, Ojuawo has now resorted to weaponizing a respected state institution by sponsoring a phantom petition to the ICPC to embarrass and distract our candidate.
“We call on the general public, our teeming supporters across Ikere, Ekiti South-West and Ise/Orun Local Governments, and the good people of Ekiti State to disregard and ignore this campaign of calumny sponsored by a sore loser.
“We also call on the Government of Ekiti State, the National Leadership of the APC, and all well-meaning stakeholders to pay close attention to these desperate moves capable of disrupting party unity.
“Most importantly, we call on the Inspector-General of Police, the Director-General of the Department of State Services (DSS) and all security agencies to ensure the protection of the life and property of Engr. Toyin Okoro and his family. We can no longer guarantee the extent to which Ojuawo can go in his desperation to stop him (Okoro) at all cost.
“We remind Ojuawo that the era of military intimidation, coercion and coup is gone and now a thing of the past. We are in a democratic era where the choice of the people must always be respected against all odds.
“The people have spoken through the primary election. The party has affirmed and INEC has approved. No amount of blackmail will stop our party, the APC from coming out victorious in the 2027 general elections.”
Signed:
Yomi Abegunde
Director, Media, Strategy and Publicity.
for Engr. Toyin Zacheous Okoro Campaign Council.