From Bamigbola Gbolagunte, Akure
The Action Alliance (AA) has declared that it will not challenge the outcome of the last governorship election in Kogi State, contrary to the position of the governorship candidate of the party, Mr Olayinka Ibrahimoh.
Ibrahimoh had already filed his petition before the Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Lokoja, the Kogi State capital.
But the national chairman of the party, Dr Adekunle Rufai Omoaje declared that the decision of Ibrahimoh did not gain the support of the party, saying that the governorship flag bearer of the party did not engage any the national leadership of the party before he took his decision.
He said “We in Action Alliance are always highly circumspect and meticulous in approaching issues and we do not circumvent bureaucracy, especially when it comes to constitutional matters.”
Omoajestated that “Our party is not a newbie when it comes to legal matters. As a matter of fact, we are so versed in the provisions of the Electoral Acts as well as our party’s constitutional provisions.”
His words “From the moment INEC published the final list of candidates for the Kogi gubernatorial election, Olayinka Ibrahimoh, our adopted candidate for that election deliberately built an edge around himself against the party, making it difficult to relate with him.
“Every overture to him from the party’s leadership to have discussion on his plans for the election was rebuffed with bold-faced arrogance. As a matter of fact, the Deputy National Chairman of our great party, in person of Alhaji Ibrahim Isa who led the national team to Kogi State to monitor the election was left an orphan in Lokoja throughout his team’s stay the state. Not even a single call was made to him all through.
“A few days ago, we heard that the party in Kogi State had approached the Governorship Elections Petition Tribunal with a petition on behalf of the party without the national leadership having knowledge of it at all. We have come a long way in political engagements to understand the dangers involved in such isolated arrangement.
“We will not allow our party to be rubbish again like we witnessed in the recent past with such arrangements that isolated the national office in similar processes.
“Consequent upon the aforementioned, we are stating clearly here that our party; the Action Alliance has no hand in the matter before the Kogi State governorship election tribunal and we say it unequivocally that we are not interested in the matter at all.
“It is also pertinent that I inform the whole world through you, the men of the fourth estate of the realm of plans by an expelled member of our party, Kenneth Udeze to sponsor some publications in the print media against my person and our great party, the Action Alliance,” he added.