Frontline senatorial aspirants of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ekiti South Senatorial District, Senator Biodun Olujimi and Hon. Bamidele Faparusi, have rejected the outcome of Saturday’s House of Representatives primary election across the state, describing the exercise as a sham riddled with irregularities.
The duo expressed disappointment over what they described as the shoddy conduct of the direct primary, alleging that the process was marred by widespread anti-democratic practices that undermined its credibility.
They cited several irregularities, including the absence of proper voter accreditation, intimidation of party members, coercion of party officials to support preferred aspirants, lack of official result sheets at ward levels, and the exclusion of aspirants’ agents from collation centres.
The concerns were contained in a joint statement signed by the two high-profile aspirants and made available to journalists in Ode-Ekiti on Saturday.
Olujimi and Faparusi urged the leadership of the party to urgently convene a stakeholders’ meeting with the National Working Committee (NWC) Election Committee ahead of the senatorial primary scheduled for Monday, May 18, to address the perceived lapses and restore confidence in the process.
They also called for the immediate release of ward result sheets for proper verification and demanded open, transparent collation centres accessible to all aspirants and their accredited agents.
The aspirants stressed that credible assurances must be given by the party to guarantee a free, fair, and transparent senatorial primary election capable of strengthening internal democracy and preventing avoidable division within the APC fold in Ekiti State.
The statement reads: “We, Senator Biodun Olujimi and Hon. Engr. Bamidele Faparusi, express our deep disappointment over the conduct of the APC House of Representatives primary election held across Ekiti South.
“These developments undermine the credibility and transparency of the process and fall short of the democratic standards expected within our great party, the All Progressives Congress.
“We therefore call for an urgent stakeholders’ meeting with the NWC Election Committee, immediate release of ward result sheets for proper verification, open and transparent collation centres accessible to all aspirants and their agents, as well as strong assurances of a credible and transparent senatorial primary election.
“We remain committed to the unity, progress, and democratic ideals of the APC.”
The development comes amid growing concerns among party stakeholders over the conduct of internal primaries ahead of the National Assembly elections, with many urging the APC leadership to ensure transparency to preserve unity and public confidence in the party’s democratic processes.
