Ekiti Tribunal: Segun Oni Cries Out, Says INEC Preventing Him Access To Inspect Materials

The Governorship Candidate in the just concluded June 18th, 2022 Governorship election in Ekiti State under the Social Democratic Party, SDP, has cried out that the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, is preventing his legal team from having access to inspect the election materials as ordered by the Election Tribunal sitting in Ado Ekiti.

The Segun Oni Campaign Organization in it’s press statement made available to the Treasure Newspaper on Monday evening and signed by its Director of Media and Publicity, Mr Jackson Adebayo raised the alarm on the refusal of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to allow the legal team of the SDP Governorship Candidate have access to the materials used in the conduct of the June Governorship election in Ekiti State.

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The organization hinted that the Ekiti state office of INEC had on Monday denied the legal team access to the election materials including the capturing machine used in transmission of the results of the election, saying that INEC claimed all the materials are in the headquarters of the Commission.

Mr. Jackson Adebayo, the SOCO Director of Media and Publicity accused the Electoral Commission of deliberately conniving with the All Progressive Congress (APC) to frustrate their efforts to retrieve the mandate stolen by the APC during the June Governorship election in Ekiti State.

Adebayo in it’s statement asked why it has become the tradition of the Commission to transfer the materials used to conduct elections which is still being challenged at the tribunal to the headquarters, adding that the Commission is only playing to the gallery by this dangerous actions.

“We are aware of the surreptitious romance between the APC and the Commission after it was discovered that the manipulation perpetrated to award victory to the APC candidate, Biodun Oyebanji has been fingered”.

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“We, however want to appeal to all well meaning Nigerians to call on INEC to release the materials demanded for inspection as provided by law which the Ekiti State election petition tribunal has appropriately ordered”.

“We are still not comfortable with the claims by the Commission in Ado Ekiti that the materials are in the national headquarters as verifiable information has it that all the materials are in their store in Ado Ekiti office; so if that be the case why the deceit and delay if something is not under cover-up.”

The organization however said that her legal team can’t be intimidated nor frustrated, adding that the commission should know that the issues goes beyond Asiwaju Segun Oni but things of concern to the generality of Ekiti people.

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But in a swift reaction by the Public Relations Officer of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, in Ekiti State, Mrs. Rolake Odebunmi, she confirmed and corroborated the earlier points raised by the Segun Oni Campaign Organization saying that it’s only like 50% of the materials being requested for that are in the custody of the State INEC.

According to Mrs. Rolake Odebunmi, she said, that, “part of the materials, like 50% are not in the custody of the Ekiti State INEC”.

Speaking further, Mrs. Rolake Odebunmi “pointed out that the Commission in Ekiti State has told SOCO to check for the ones available in the State but they refuse and said they don’t want it until they see the remaining of the materials”.

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Rolake revealed that the INEC Office in Ekiti can only made available the materials in there custody in the State.

She went on to say that they have advised the Segun Oni Campaign Organization to write a letter to there headquarters office in Abuja for the release of those materials so they can inspect them.

Rolake specifically emphasized that they have told the SOCO that they don’t have the complete materials in Ekiti State.

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She however revealed that the Commission has fixed another meeting for Monday next week so that the reply from there head office in Abuja will be given to enable them know further action on it.

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