The Chairman, Senate Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters said the alleged “abuse of democracy and brazen abridgement of the Electoral Act in the election would be subjected to legal scrutiny via the party’s constitution and the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”
Though Bamidele and six others had withdrawn from the race, going by the results declared by the Governor Abubakar Mohammed Badaru-led APC Primary Election Committee, he garnered a total of 706 to emerge third, while the former Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Biodun Oyebanji, got 101, 703, to become the party’s flag-bearer.
In a statement in Ado-Ekiti, yesterday, the senator said he would explore available legal options to remedy the alleged “electoral perfidy perpetrated during the primary to deepen democracy and entrench the rule of law in the system.”
The Chairman, Southern Senators’ Forum insisted that “no election was held on January 27, as figures reeled out by the committee were (allegedly) fabricated to suit a certain sinister purpose.”
He added: “We are, of course, taking immediate steps within the confines of our party’s constitution and the law to seek redress for this blatant abuse of trust and due process by state’s actors.
“So while on this quest to seek an amicable resolution to this impasse, I urge all to remain calm and prayerful that justice and truth will prevail for the benefit of the people of Ekiti.”
Bamidele added that it was unfortunate and regrettable that the process of conducting the primary was “hijacked, truncated, compromised and bastardised by those at the helm of affairs in Ekiti, which was tantamount to a complete abuse of trust and leadership.”
