INEC rejects PDP primary in Ekiti North

The Independent National Electoral Commission has
rejected the House of Representatives’ primaries conducted
by the Peoples Democratic Party in Ekiti North
Federal Constituency II.
The INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner in Ekiti,
Alhaji Halilu Pai, said the commission would not
recognise the primary because it did not conform with the
extant regulations.
Report had come in on Sunday that Chief Thaddeus Aina
won the primaries after defeating other aspirants.
But Pai, who stated this in a statement by the
commission’s Public Relations Officer, Mr. Taiwo
Gbadegesin, on Monday said there was no evidence that
the primary took place as the commission did not witness
it.
He said, “The PDP claimed that there was primary in
the place, but to us in INEC, we believed there was no
primary.
“This commission cannot recognise primaries conducted in
the middle of the night as election, because reports by our
electoral officers indicated that the primary did not begin
even as at 8.30pm in the night. So, when was the election
conducted?
“We owe it a duty to say the truth now to prevent future
backlash. It is the responsibility of this commission to
ensure that things are done rightly and on that we stand,”
he stated.
Meanwhile, the All Progressives Congress held its
senatorial primaries across the three senatorial districts on
Monday.
The primary took place in Ifaki-Ekiti where the
incumbent, Olubunmi Adetumbi, contested against Mr.
Olusegun Osinkolu and a former Chairman, Ekiti State
Local Government Service Commission under ex-
Governor Kayode Fayemi, Mr. Ranti Adebisi.
To forestall a breakdown of law and order, the
Commissioner of Police, Mr. Taiwo Lakanu, deployed a
large number of riot policemen in the venue.
The results of the primaries were still being expected as of
press time.
Meanwhile, all the serving members of the House of
Representatives of the APC were returned in the
primaries held across the state on Sunday except in Ekiti
Central Federal Constituency 1 where Mrs. Eniola Ajayi
emerged the winner.