Arise rejects Ekiti North primary election result, alleges

Former lawmaker, Senator Ayo Arise, has described the conduct and outcome of the All Progressives Congress (APC) primary election in Ekiti North as fraudulent and undemocratic.

Arise disclosed this while addressing newsmen yesterday in Oye-Ekiti, Ekiti State.

Senator Cyril Fasuyi, who polled 14,179 votes, was declared winner of the by-election, with Arise scoring 4,868 votes.

Arise, who was senator between 2007 and 2011, however, said that he won in most of the wards, where the primary election took place, adding that the records were available as the delegates voted for him.

He said the process fell short of the party’s guidelines and did not reflect the will of the delegates who participated in the voting.

The former lawmaker alleged that irregularities, such as intimidation and harassment, occurred at several wards, thus compromising the credibility of the result announced by the returning officer.

“I want to state clearly that I refuse to accept the outcome of the primary election, which was fraudulent and undemocratic.

“The result of the primary election is filled with manipulations, harassment and intimidation because I was winning in most of the wards.

“For example, in Ilejemeje Local Government Area, out of 10 wards, I won in eight wards but the result that was doctored said the opposite.

“The result that was collated at the ward level showed that I polled the highest number of votes before the process was altered during the final collation.

“If the law governing our electoral process is upheld, Sen. Cyril Fasuyi cannot defeat me,” he said.

Arise appealed to President Bola Tinubu and the APC National Chairman to investigate the conduct of the primary and ensure that the authentic result was upheld.

He warned that ignoring the grievance of party members could be dangerous for the party and its integrity.

The former lawmaker, however, urged his supporters to remain calm, assuring them that he would explore all internal mechanisms within the party to seek redress on the outcome of the primary election.