Ekiti: Adeniran didn’t influence primary poll’s result, says SDP

The leadership of the Social Democratic Party has sneered at insinuations that its governorship primary election across the 177 wards of Ekiti State was rigged in favour of its winner, Mr. Akinloye Aiyegbusi, believed to be the candidate of former Education Minister, Prof. Tunde Adeniran.
A member of the National Working Committee of the party, Mr. Yemi Akinbode, put a lie to the accusation in Ado-Ekiti at the weekend, shortly after Aiyegbusi emerged winner in the keenly contested poll.
Reacting to an accusation by an aspirant of the party who lost the election, that Adeniran rigged him out of the contest, Akinbode said that nothing could be farther from the truth.
He said that the former Minister of Education was a symbol of the new political order and therefore, could not be associated with rigging of any election.
“If he had been elected as the chairman of the PDP, all these rancours (within PDP) would not be happening. The party (SDP) went through the process of Option A4 because it believes there is the need to have a paradigm shift and give power to the people.
“We left the PDP because of impunity and lack of internal democracy which cost the party victory in the 2015 general elections. The SDP and its leaders, therefore, abhor rigging under any circumstance. The open primary of the party which was monitored by the officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission is credible, free and transparent.
“Professor Adeniran has never in any way influenced the process. He didn’t mention the name of any aspirant as preferred. He allowed the aspirants to go to the field and ensure a process where the people themselves chose the candidate.
“So, all the allegations by some aspirants that there were manipulations to favour a particular candidate is not true.
“What we are trying to do at this time is to call party leaders and others together, especially those who contested in the election, to see this assignment as a family affair so that we will all understand one another,” Akinbode clarified
At the primary elections, Aiyegbusi had polled 16,921 votes to defeat his other contestants, Ambassador Dare Bejide, to the second position with 14,783, while Olamide Oni polled 4,258, for the third place. The final collation and declaration of results took place at MC Event Centre, Poly Road, Ado Ekiti.