LIVE UPDATES
The Oyo State chapter of the African Action Congress (AAC) has criticized the Inter-Party Advisory Committee (IPAC) and the state governor, Seyi Makinde, for asserting that the recent Local Government elections were conducted fairly.
Comrade Kayode Babayomi, the AAC State Chairman, during a press conference in Ibadan stated that the recent statement by the state’s IPAC was both inadequate and disappointing.
Babayomi insisted that electoral fraud occurred, maintaining that it was utterly false to claim that the people of Oyo indeed participated in the election, given the extent of manipulations, intimidation, and malpractices before and during the elections.
The AAC State Chairman said: “We are not surprised at this show of shame as it is their stock in trade. What they meant must have been that the daylight robbery was free and fair.
“The Oyo IPAC executives, in supporting the sham election conducted by Makinde, go to show that they are not representing the will of the people.
“It is very shameful how integrity has become so cheap in the hands of supposed leaders of political parties.
"We want to reiterate that the African Action Congress (AAC) has already stated our position that there was no legitimate election, and we intend to challenge their wrongful actions through legal means - in the court of law - and through peaceful demonstrations.
It is particularly disheartening that the leaders of a political party association seem to be more concerned with serving their own interests rather than representing the people of the state.
We are confident that many of the party leaders who are supporting this fraudulent election cannot honestly face their members, as it is evident even within their own parties that they are simply puppets placed in various political parties to be used as tools for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Seyi Makinde.
We do not wish to engage in a public argument with these puppets, as the evidence of the Oyo State Independent Electoral Commission's (OYSIEC) severe incompetence, PDP's intimidation, extensive rigging, and voter suppression - all of which they are trying to pass off as 'free' and 'fair' - are clearly outlined in our petition, which we will be filing with the tribunal.
As a political party and a default member of IPAC, we want to make it clear that we were never part of this embarrassing press briefing, and we will never support such regressive statements.
Our integrity is invaluable, and we have no intention of compromising it for personal gain."
