Ekiti State governor, Ayodele Fayose has alleged that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has planned with the All Progressives Congress (APC) to rig the Ondo governorship election.
In a statement on Friday, Fayose said INEC staff already have the result they will be announcing to Nigerians.
The governor also wondered why the Returning officer and other key staff are being made secret by the commission.
The statement read; “At the early hours of today, information came in that the Vice Chancellor of the Federal University, Oye Ekiti (FUOYE), Prof Kayode Soremekun, who was the INEC Returning Officer in the recently concluded Edo State governorship election that is still a subject of litigation, will also serve as the Returning Officer for the Ondo State election.
“The questions that came to my mind were; is Prof Kayode Soremekun the only Vice Chancellor in Nigeria? Is FUOYE the only federal university
in Nigeria? Is Ekiti the only State where INEC can find Returning Officers?
“Definitely, INEC is up to a sinister game on the Ondo State election and it is obvious that the electoral commission is working with the All Progressives Congress (APC).
“This belief was further made manifest by the response of Prof Soremekun to a SMS and a call, saying that he was only being used as decoy by INEC.
“This was further corroborated by the INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner in Ondo State, Mr Olusegun Agbaje, who said on television that identities of those to be used as Returning Officers are being kept secret.
“Obviously, it is clear beyond any doubt that INEC is only trying to make a volte-face, after its sinister motive of using the same people it used to rig the Edo State election was exposed.
“Electoral process should an open book that anyone can read. Sadly, less than 24 hours to the Ondo State election, INEC is telling Nigerians and the entire world that identities of those to serve as Returning Officers are being kept secret.
“Why should those that will conduct election be hidden from Nigerians? Is election now a secret affair?
“The sad reality confronting the electoral process in Nigeria today is that apart from the APC, other political parties are now contesting elections against INEC.
“It is clear that the Returning Officers already have fake results that they will announce to Nigerians as they did in Edo State.
“Evidently, democracy in Nigeria has suffered a serious setback and it will take the insistence and resistance of the people of Ondo State for their votes to count tomorrow.
“Furthermore, to sustain the planned rigging, names of some judges seen as trusted enough to give the APC favourable judgment have been compiled to be used as members of the Election Petition Tribunal. In other words, the election tribunal has been constituted even before the election is held.