National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, on Wednesday, said the party was not aware that its candidate in the Ekiti State governorship election, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, has any matter in court.
Oshiomhole stated this while fielding questions from journalists at the party’s national secretariat, in Abuja, on the purported court matter instituted by a member of Fayemi’s election council and former APC Deputy National Chairman, Segun Oni.
Oni, one of the aspirants for the APC governorship ticket in Ekiti State placed second after Fayemi but was said to have gone to court allegedly over some breaches of agreement.
Reacting to the allegation, the APC national chairman said the party was not aware and had not been served any court papers in that regard.
Dismissing the episode, Oshiomhole said “What is important is that Segun Oni spoke eloquently during the flag-off of the campaign. Segun Oni is a complete gentleman and I have a lot of respect for him. He spoke and I believe that he spoke from the heart. But in this business, you can hear all sorts of things on the social media. I am here as the National Chairman of the APC and I believe that if something takes us to court, I would have been served court papers.
“So, let me say that there is no such thing, but however, we know that the opponent can sponsor publications and try to plant confusion. The only hope they have is that we will turn against ourselves. But we are far more sophisticated than that and will not turn against ourselves, we are facing them squarely and this election will be lost and won on merit.”
On the election coming next week, Oshiomhole said it is as good as won for APC.
He alleged that opposition party won the election four years ago through rigging and funds taken from coffers of government, saying that the equation has now changed.
According to the chairman, “APC has a candidate who is not new to governance and he has his track records. We also know that in the last election that brought Fayose to office was rigged, the money collected from NNPC, the military officers ruthlessly deployed, the young officer that refused to participate in the misuse of the Armed Forces who later made a confession that was played on national television.
“Those manipulative tools will not be used this time and so, the governor (Fayose) will have to learn an art that he was never familiar with. He has to learn how to persuade and convince the electorate. In line with the PDP tradition, they have always spent their energy on controlling structures and producing candidates whether people like them or not. This time around, they will have to win and not to rig. I have fought PDP in Edo, just relying on mobilization and persuasion and we know how to win. We will fall back on those conventions, tools of winning election and because they are not in that group, they cannot start learning new trick. So, Ekiti is as good as won.”
Also Speaking Atiku Bagudu, Kebbi State governor and the chairman of the APC campaign committee for the Ekiti State governorship poll, who came to brief the party on the preparation so far made to take Ekiti, said, all members of the APC are poised for a big win.
“All party members right from President Muhammadu Buhari and party members in Ekiti have been working hard towards the realisation of this campaign objective. We have come to brief the national working committee on our efforts so far.
Also dismissing the allegation of Oni going to court to challenge the candidature of Fayemi said, “Yesterday, we held a meeting of the Ekiti Governorship Campaign Council and Segun Oni was there and participated in the meeting.”
