An aspirant in the All Progressives Congress (APC) House of Representatives primary election for Apapa Federal Constituency, Dr Adesola Adedayo, has petitioned the party leadership over alleged widespread irregularities during the exercise held on May 16.
Adedayo, who currently represents Apapa Federal Constituency, said this in a statement on Sunday in Lagos.
The lawmaker, in the petition addressed to the APC Electoral Appeals Committee, alleged that the elections in nine wards — A, C, D, E, F, G, H, I and J — were marred by electoral fraud, violence and disenfranchisement of party members.
He claimed that the irregularities substantially affected the outcome of the primary and rendered the results from the affected wards unreliable and inconclusive.
According to him, the alleged infractions included the use of forged party registration slips by unregistered persons, failure to accredit electoral officers and agents, violent attacks on supporters, and the abrupt abandonment of voting and collation processes.
“The admission of forged voters is not a procedural irregularity.
“It is a deliberate breach of the foundational requirement that primary elections reflect the will of party members only,” he said.
Adedayo alleged that thousands of registered APC members were prevented from voting after electoral officers allegedly abandoned the exercise at about 6.00 p.m. while votes were still being counted.
“At the time the process was abandoned, voting had not been concluded and results had not been officially announced.While over 3,000 registered party members were still waiting in queue to vote,” he said.
The aspirant also alleged that his supporters were attacked at Ward H on Amusu Street by armed individuals during the exercise.
“An election conducted in an environment of violence, without accreditation and without regard for the safety of voters cannot be said to have been conducted fairly or lawfully,” he said.
Adedayo said sworn affidavits, photographs, videos and other documentary evidence had been attached to support the petition.
He urged the APC Electoral Appeals Committee to nullify the results from the affected wards and order a fresh primary election under the supervision of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The aspirant also called for sanctions against officials allegedly involved in the conduct of the disputed exercise.
He maintained that the alleged irregularities undermined the credibility of the primary and violated provisions of the Electoral Act 2026 and the APC Constitution.
“I trust that the Committee will act decisively to restore the integrity of the APC’s internal democracy,” he added.(NAN)
