Wole Balogun, Ado Ekiti
The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ekiti State has denied allegations made by Governor Ayo Fayose that it has colluded with the Vice Chancellor of the Federal University, Oye-Ekiti, Professor Kayode Soremekun, to recruit students of the university to act as presiding officers to rig the July 14 governorship election.
Fayose had on state media alleged that he uncovered a plot by APC to engage Soremekun to recruit students to work as presiding officers to help rig the poll in favour of the party. He alleged that the VC held a meeting with the governorship candidate of APC, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, where the two perfected strategies to recruit FUOYE students to work as presiding officers to help APC rig the poll.
A statement by the APC Publicity Secretary, Taiwo Olatunbosun, said the party was not surprised by the allegation made by the governor, who he said has become jittery since APC conducted a crisis-free primary that produced Fayemi as APC’s candidate.
“This is not the first time that Fayose would blackmail Prof. Soremekun of plots to help APC win election. He did it during Ondo State governorship election when he accused the professor of conspiring to help announce a fake result in favour of APC even when the innocent Professor was not anywhere near Nigeria at the time.
“The truth is that the Vice Chancellor was nowhere near Abuja to hold any meeting with the minister as alleged by Fayose, as the professor was shuttling between Oye-Ekiti main campus of the university and Ikole-Ekiti campus trying to douse the tension generated by the students’ protests that rocked the university on the day Fayose said he was holding a meeting with Fayemi in Abuja.”