ALLEGED ELECTION RIGGING: I’M READY TO FACE TRAIL - ONI

By Lere Olayinka

Former Governor of Ekiti State, Chief Olusegun Oni has lamented the

continuous assault on the intelligence of Nigerians by people, who

ordinarily should be tied to a stake and fired for heinous crimes

ranging from forgery, drug peddling, electoral malpractices and

bribery, saying that he was ready to face trial as election rigger

provided a panel made of seasoned and respected judges would be

constituted to review all the judgements on elections in Ekiti State

that had passed through the Election Tribunals and the Federal Court

of Appeal.
Oni, who reacted to call for his trial for elction rigging made by

former governor of Lagos State and financier of the Action Congress of

Nigeria (ACN), Mr. Bola Tinubu said it was painful that people like

Tinubu, who have perfected crude way of getting electoral victory

through the back door are the ones sermonising about democracy and

rule of law.
According to the release issued by his Chief Media Aide, Wale

Ojo-Lanre, the former governor said he was not afraid to face any

competent panel of seasoned and respected jurists for a review of all

elections held in Ekiti State between 2007 and 2010 and court

judgments arising from them.
The former governor said the inquiry would expose those who set the

Ido/Osi Local Government's Independent National Electoral Commission

(INEC) office ablaze only to head for the tribunal, asking INEC to

proof that election was conducted by producing the voting materials

they already destroyed. It would also reveal those who destroyed

thousands of votes in Okemesi, Iro, Ijero and other areas where

violent was unleashed on Ekiti people during the elections.

“Once again, we are calling for the setting up of a panel made of

seasoned and respected judges to review all the judgements on

elections in Ekiti State that had passed through the Election

Tribunals and the Federal Court of Appeal.
“This is necessary as it would reveal the real election riggers, who

have perfected crude way of getting electoral victories through the

back door and yet climbed the roof top to accuse others of

undemocratic practices.
“It is painful that those who are committing unimaginably heinous

electoral frauds are the same set of people that parade themselves as

true democrats and unfortunately, the society see them as such.

“How can a people who forged police reports, those who sworn to false

affidavits, those who have drug and certificate forgery cases, those

who intimidate judges and those who preach violence and lie at will

now becoming democratic light bearers?
“But we know that time will unveil the faces of the real master

riggers who masquerade, pretend and showcase themselves as true

democrats in Nigeria because they can fool people many times but

definitely not all the time,” he said.
--