How Oyegun, Buni, Izunaso Rigged Ondo APC Primary

The National Vice Chairman (South West) of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Chief Pius Akinyelure has revealed how the party’s governorship primary was manipulated culminating in the submission of Chief Oluwarotimi Akeredolu’s name to the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, as the party’s candidate.

Akinyelure, in a statement detailing how the primary election was rigged, named the National Chairman Chief John Odigie Oyegun, National Secretary, Mai Mala Buni and the National Organizing Secretary, Senator Osita Izunaso as the persons behind the act.

The statement, which the National Vice Chairman said enjoys the support of six National Working Committee (NWC) members, accused the trio of using NWC meetings to usurp powers and unilaterally take decisions that their offices did not give them the power to take.

It emerged that as many as three delegates’ lists for the election were in circulation at some point after the first list was tampered with.

Izunaso, according to the account, single handedly removed, added or substituted names on the initial list circulated to the party’s 24 aspirants leading to the emergence of a second list that was altered in favour of Akeredolu. His action enjoyed the support of Oyegun and Buni even when other members of the NWC opposed it because it conflicted with the party’s rules.

Akinyelure wrote that “The National Organising Secretary confirmed to the National Working Committee meeting of Monday 19th September 2016 that he actually received objections from some of the aspirants as to the delegates list. Then he unilaterally made the adjustments as he deemed fit.

“It is emphasised that the National Organising Secretary performed these adjustments without recourse or reference to the National Working Committee. The National Working Committee was not appraised of his actions before the primary. The National Organising Secretary then issued this altered list to the Primary Election Committee for use in the conduct of the election.

“This altered list became available to some of the aspirants in the early hours of the Election Day (3rd September 2016) when the election process was about to commence. Chief OluwarotimiAkeredolu,and three other aspirants protested and raised objections as to the delegate list to the Election Committee. However, “Committee members could not address as it was not within their competence to do so. They went ahead with the conduct the election. After the declaration of the results of the election by the Election Committee, three aspirants petitioned the Election Appeal Committee alleging discrepancies and the alteration of the delegates list provided to them by the Election Committee and other irregularities.

“Consequent on the above, the National Working Committee (NWC)of the party received both the Election Committee and the Election Appeal Committee’s reports which were tabled at the NWC meeting of Monday 19th September 2016,” the statement read.

A decision by the NWC to submit the name of an interim substitute to INEC as place holder until a fresh primary was conducted suffered a setback after Oyegun, Buni and Izunaso blindsided the other members to submit Akeredolu’s name in spite of a six to five vote in favour of presenting the substitute name.