By Idowu Adebomi
A former senator and aspirant in the senatorial primary of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ekiti State has rejected the outcome of the exercise, alleging widespread irregularities, intimidation, and the falsification of results during the poll.
Addressing journalists at a press conference, the APC chieftain maintained that the outcome announced by party officials did not reflect the true wishes of party members.
He insisted that figures collated from polling units across the district showed that he won the contest.
The former lawmaker questioned the credibility of the declared result and claimed that his opponent, identified as Cyril, lacked the political strength to defeat him in a free and fair contest.
He alleged that the process was compromised from the outset, adding that he deployed drones and video surveillance technology to monitor activities during the primary election.
According to him, all incidents recorded during the exercise have been documented and preserved as evidence of malpractice.
He claimed that authentic results from areas where voting genuinely took place showed that he secured 8,687 votes, representing 41 percent of the total votes cast, while his rival polled 7,725 votes.
The aspirant further alleged that figures announced in some wards exceeded the number of registered party members, describing the process as fraudulent and inconsistent with democratic principles.
He also accused some electoral officials of abandoning voting centers after discovering that large numbers of party members had queued to vote for him.
The politician, however, insisted that his protest was not borne out of desperation for political office but from a desire to protect democratic values and preserve public confidence in the electoral process.
According to him, politics should be driven by service rather than personal enrichment.
“The whole essence of governance is to provide an enabling environment for people to prosper,” he said, while stressing his commitment to promoting accountability and discouraging practices capable of undermining democracy.
Reflecting on his career outside politics, the former senator highlighted his contributions to Nigeria’s financial technology sector.
He said he pioneered some of the country’s earliest electronic card payment systems and facilitated partnerships with international financial institutions, including Mastercard and Visa, to establish a third-party payment processing platform in sub-Saharan Africa.
He also claimed to have contributed to government financial reforms through the development of a revenue monitoring portal designed to block leakages in public finances.
Speaking on his relationship with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the APC stalwart said he remains loyal to both the President and the ruling party. He noted that he voluntarily returned to the APC more than a decade ago and has remained committed to its ideals.
The former senator, however, alleged that some individuals falsely claimed to be acting on behalf of the President in asking him to withdraw from the race.
He maintained that he would only honor such a request if it came directly from the President himself.
During an interactive session with journalists, the politician further alleged that some of his supporters and members of his technical team were assaulted during the primary election.
He claimed that one of his drone operators was attacked and detained, while several supporters were intimidated in different wards across the district.
According to him, video recordings, photographs, and election records in his possession contain evidence of intimidation, result manipulation, and other irregularities in some communities.