Fayemi asked me to rig election for him, Oshiomhole alleges

Former National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Adams Oshiomhole said that Ekiti State Governor, Kayode Fayemi had once sought his help to rig an election while he led the party.

Oshiomhole who was speaking on a Channels TV programme Political Paradigm said he rather left the office honourably rather than acceding to Fayemi’s request.

“I said it in one of the meetings I had with Governor Kayode Fayemi who told me bluntly to my face that, ‘chairman, what we are saying is, you can go and conduct election to fulfil all righteousness, but when we say this is the person that should emerge, just make sure he is the person that emerge’.

“And I told Governor Fayemi that, ‘that would be your own portion not me’. I cannot be used as an instrument of fraud, to invite people to buy forms when I have already decided, regardless of how people will vote, this is the man that will prevail.

“You want to use me for such a purpose, I said no, I said at worst, if you find the number to get rid of me, I will rather leave the job with my honour than sacrifice my honour to keep the job,” Oshiomhole said.

Fayemi however described Oshiomhole’s allegations as false and a figment of his own imaginations.

“The allegation, which was made on a national television, is not only false, puerile and laughable, it is a figment of the imagination of the former APC chairman as Governor Fayemi has never asked Oshiomhole to rig any election for him or any other person and never had any reason to ask for such,” Fayemi said in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary ,Yinka Oyebode.

“Members of the public are therefore urged to disregard the allegations by Comrade Oshiomhole, who apparently is still experiencing a post traumatic stress disorder on account of his removal as Chairman of APC.

“It is on record, Dr Fayemi was not responsible for Comrade Oshiomhole’s removal as Chairman of the APC. He has his ward executives and the courts to blame for that.

“The Ekiti State Governor has always considered Comrade Oshiomhole a friend and political associate even if they had fundamental differences over his kangaroo approach of disqualifying Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State, from the APC primaries and his unconscionable autocratic management of party affairs whilst he was chairman of the party.

“For avoidance of doubt, Governor Fayemi has no reason to approach Comrade Oshiomhole for favours for any election. Governor Fayemi has a stellar track record of being a consummate democrat even in difficult times.

“Many Nigerians can easily recall his historic concession speech in 2014 in an election that was clearly lost to electoral sleight of hand at the behest of the then People’s democratic Party (PDP)–led Federal Government.

“Others will also recall how he spent years in court patiently pursuing the retrieval of his stolen mandate between 2007 and 2010. He has demonstrated nothing but decency, decorum and fidelity to the rule of law in all his years in politics and public office.

“We challenge Mr Oshiomhole to provide the public with independently verifiable evidence of his unsubstantiated claims, if true.

“Governor Fayemi remains steadfast in the pursuit of his aspiration to get the APC ticket for the 2023 presidential election. No amount of mudslinging from disenchanted individuals would distract or discourage him.”