The All Progressives Congress has announced plans to challenge the infractions on the rights of members of the party during the just concluded governorship election in Ekiti state.
Rising from the inaugural National Working Committee Meeting of the party, the National Publicity Secretary of the party, Mister Lai Mohammed said the party is heading to the law court in order to ensure that these unconstitutional acts are not repeated in subsequent elections, especially that of Osun in august and next year’s general elections.
The party said it believes that the events leading to the election in Ekiti negates the principle of a free, fair and credible election as the federal authorities tilted the election in favour of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Mr Mohammed had earlier on Channels Televison’s breakfast show, Sunrise Daily, listed various offences for which the party was going to seek redress for in Court, including the detainment of Governor Chibuike Amaechi and other APC governors on the day of Fayemi’s last rally.
He also mentioned the arrest of some APC leaders the night before the election, as one of the issues for which they seek redress, noting that they had no problems with the outcome of the election, but with the process.
“Two weeks before the election, a peaceful rally by the APC was forcibly dispersed which led to the death of an individual,” he said, adding that there was no investigation into the matter.
He also mentioned that “a vehicle was intercepted containing 200 boxes of electoral material which INEC discredited as waste material” and there was yet to be an explanation for a reported aircraft carrying suspicious material, which landed in Ekiti.
Mohammed explained that “what happens before, during elections determines if the nation’s democracy is being deepened.”
However, the APC spokesman said that the Party had no intention to contest the result of the election and it was standing by Fayemi’s decision, unless there was compelling evidence to necessitate such a move.
“We have gone beyond the issue of who lost or who won the election”, he said, but insisted that the over-militarisation of the process created fear in the electorate which may have caused many APC loyalists to stay clear of the election.
“We have absolutely no problem or issue with law enforcement agencies in keeping peace” he said, but noted that it was a “selective keeping of peace” which was against the opposition. He claimed that members of the APC, as well as some accredited journalists had been “deported” and “forcefully removed” on the day of the election.