- says opposition parties’ members were denied franchise
Segun Ayinde, Abeokuta
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ogun State, yesterday, accused the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) of allegedly rigging last Saturday’s councillorship by-election conducted at Ward 1, Yewa South council of the state.
PDP equally accused APC of allegedly denying the people of Yewa South, particularly those supporting opposition parties, the right to exercise their franchise during the poll.
It will be recalled that the Ogun State Independent Electoral Commission (OGSIEC) has announced the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Mrs. Adebunmi Adekanbi, as the winner of Saturday’s councillorship by-election conducted at Ward 1 in Yewa South.
The Council’s Electoral Officer, Barr. Ademola Akinyele, while announcing Adebunmi Adekanbi as the winner of the election, said she polled 1,873 votes to defeat her closest rival, Mr. Bashir Ibrahim Abiodun of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who scored 351.
But, reacting exclusively, the PDP’s Director of Media & Communication, Asiwaju Bankole Akinloye, said his party rejected the outcome of the election results, insisting that the election was allegedly rigged in favour of APC.
Akinloye alleged that the inability of the majority of opposition parties’ members and supporters to see their names on the voters’ register was a perfected scheme by the APC to edge the opposition parties out of participation and winning the election.
“Was that an election? It was just a charade. It was the suppression of the people’s right. APC has refused to allow the people of Yewa to exercise their franchise. They are trying as much as possible to narrow the people’s choice to APC, and they keep on frustrating opposition parties in the state in every given election.”
“They did not allow the people to vote; it was only members of APC that were allowed to vote. So, the election was rigged in favour of APC. Many people did not see their names on the register and were not allowed to vote,” he added.
Efforts to reach APC’s Director of Publicity, Mr. Olufemi Nuberu, to react to the allegations proved abortive as he was not picking up his calls, neither did he reply to WhatsApp messages sent to him.
