The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ondo State has openly contested the findings of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), which pointed to flaws in the party’s primary election conducted on April 20.
The APC was taken aback by INEC’s report, describing the commission’s conclusions as unexpected and alarming.
Despite the report highlighting various irregularities, the APC has called on its members to stay focused and resilient, with their sights set on the upcoming governorship election on November 16.
INEC officials, who oversaw the primary election across 203 political wards, documented multiple irregularities. Notably, there were reports of delayed electoral materials and issues with the accurate tallying of votes.
In response, the state’s APC Publicity Secretary, Alex Kalejaye, has suggested that there are internal efforts within the party to undermine the legitimacy of the primary election process.
“For the record, elections took place in all 18 local government areas in the state. There were agitations in Ifedore and Ilaje local government areas.
“While the results for the entire Ifedore local government were cancelled, those for Ilaje affected about four wards, which were also cancelled.
“The essence of such cancellations was to emphasize the validity of the entire process and lend credence to fairness.
“The voting strength of our members in the affected areas was not substantial enough to dent the credibility of the process or affect the margin with which the candidate emerged.
“The party therefore doubts the authenticity of the report, credited to an agent of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.
“The party urges its teeming supporters to discountenance the spurious report and focus on the bigger task ahead: to win the governorship election and retain the Sunshine State for APC.”
