‘You asked me to rig’ | ‘It’s a lie’ — Oshiomhole, Fayemi clash over 2018 APC primary

Adams Oshiomhole, senatorial hopeful, and Kayode Fayemi, governor of Ekiti state, have traded words over an allegation made by the former APC national chairman.

In an interview with Channels Television, Oshiomhole said Fayemi asked him to rig the party’s primary election in 2018 in favour of some unnamed people.

“In one of the meetings I had with governor Fayemi – he told me bluntly to my face that ‘chairman what we are saying is you can go and conduct election and fulfil all righteousness but if we say this the person to emerge just make sure he emerges’,” he said.

“I told Governor Fayemi that it would be his portion, not me.

“I can’t be used as an instrument of fraud to invite people to buy forms and convince them that they are going for the primary, regardless of how the people will vote and this is the man that will prevail? You want to use me for such a purpose?”

But Fayemi dismissed the allegation, saying it is laughable.

“For the avoidance of doubt, Governor Fayemi has no reason to approach Comrade Oshiomhole for favours for any election. Fayemi has a stellar track record of being a consummate democrat even in difficult times,” Olayinka Oyebode, media aide to Fayemi, quoted him as saying.

“The allegation, which was made on national television, is not only false, puerile, and laughable, it is a figment of the imagination of the former APC chairman as Fayemi has never asked Oshiomhole to rig the election for him or any other person and never had any reason to ask for such.

“Members of the public are therefore urged to disregard the allegations by Oshiomhole, who apparently is still experiencing a post-traumatic stress disorder because of his removal as chairman of APC.

“If true, we challenge Oshiomhole to provide the public with independently verifiable evidence of his unsubstantiated claims.”

In June 2020, the APC national executive committee (NEC) dissolved the national working committee (NWC) led by the former Edo governor following a crisis in the party at the time.