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Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) House of Representative candidate in Surulere federal constituency I of Lagos State, Mr. Tony Ashikodi, has alleged that the last Saturday’s election was massively rigged by the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Ashikodi, while addressing a press conference on Tuesday in Lagos, alleged that the mandate freely given to him by the electorate was “blatantly and brazenly taken away from him by APC and Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila.”
He declared: “We reject the results particularly the ones from Ayilara polling unit 022, Municipal 040, 041 and a polling unit on Ogunlana Drive/Ward G2, where no single Permanent Voters’ Card (PVC) was issued yet result was declared in favour of the APC’s candidate.
“The results announced by Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) reflect pre-determined and fictitious manipulation forged by a rigging machinery of the APC led by Gbajabiamila. We would never accept the results that were marred by irregularities and violence and call for a recount.”
Ashikodi explained that there was also evidence of gross ballot snatching in Ayilara Street which he alleged was shown on television and the the Assistant Inspector General of Police in the zone, Mr. Joseph Mbu, visited the scene, “yet result was also declared in favour of Gbajabiamila.”
He added that the results from Shitta were grossly altered from the original ones and the numbers of votes recorded were more than those accredited.
According to him, “We have facts that the result sheets that they put inside were not the authentic result sheets. And we have facts that they even included result of polling units where elections were not conducted, polling units where PVCs were not issued, but it had results in favour of the APC.
“We want the world to know that APC is not corruption-free as they always claim because this is corruption at the highest order.” Ashikodi has therefore petitioned the INEC over the alleged rigging against his party during the last Saturday elections as he rejected the election outcome because the process was “characterised by “massive rigging.
“I write to complain and reject the outcome of the election of the March 28 in Surulere Federal Constituency 1.
“According to the actual counting from the six wards that comprise the constituency, my party, the PDP, recorded 20, 750 votes which is the highest, but by Sunday, the figure has been reduced to 14, 550.
“The result sheet from Shitta was grossly altered and the numbers of votes recorded were more than those accredited,” he said in the petition. He said despite the incident of massive rigging and ballot snatching in ward six at Ayilara, his supporters gave him victory because he has been “a pillar of support to many youths in Surulere for several years.”
Responding to the allegation, Gbajabiamila’s Research and Media Assistant, Mr. Wasiu Olanrewaju-Smart, said: “Although there is no doubt that vibrancy of Gbajabiamila and his successful re-election has thrown PDP into panic mode, but no one should turn law on its head.
“In accordance with the provisions of the electoral act (as amended), the result sheets collated and announced by INEC were duly signed and certified by his (PDP) agents. So issues raised by the PDP candidate, Ashikodi, are futile and illogical.
“It is haughty disdainful that a candidate wishes to be a judge in his own case. From the result released by INEC, it was obvious the people of Surulere 1 federal constituency spoke loud and clear.”
He alleged that APC polled 21,715 votes in the election which is the highest figure while PDP scored 14,550, adding that Ashikodi insisted that the results were merely interchanged to give victory to APC
