Senator Ayo Arise, a former Senator representing Ekiti North Senatorial District, has explained that his decision to institute legal action against the All Progressives Congress (APC) and challenge the outcome of the Ekiti North Senatorial primary election was to safeguard the party's internal democratic process. In an interview, Arise stated that his legal battle was not just about his personal ambition to return to the Senate but about ensuring the party obeys its own rules. He emphasized that members should be able to seek justice when those rules are allegedly violated.
The APC election committee had declared incumbent Senator Cyril Fasuyi the winner of the election, with 14,179 votes, defeating Arise who scored 4,868 votes. However, Arise rejected the outcome, alleging that the results announced were manufactured and did not reflect the voting process witnessed across the local government areas of the senatorial district. He claimed that his campaign had deployed drones and cameras across the wards for video evidence of the exercise, anticipating possible irregularities.
Arise alleged that party members openly queued behind their preferred aspirants during the voting process and that the evidence from the exercise contradicted the figures eventually announced by the party. He stated that his team had videos and other materials showing how supporters voted, adding that ballot materials were allegedly removed before the final figures were produced. Arise also claimed that his own collation from 33 wards gave him over 8,000 votes against Fasuyi who got 7,000 plus votes before the process was allegedly disrupted.
Arise defended his continued membership of the APC despite accusing the party of denying him what he believes was his victory. He said his disagreement was with the conduct of the primary and not with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, whom he declared he will continue to support. Arise dismissed the suggestion that his legal challenge amounted to opposition to the President, saying Tinubu was not responsible for what happened in Ekiti North.
Addressing reports that he was asked to withdraw from the contest on the President's instruction, Arise said he was prepared to obey such a directive if it came directly from Tinubu, but submitted that no such direct communication took place. He stated that his going to court was an insurance policy. According to Arise, his experience in the primary has not weakened his commitment to the APC but has strengthened his determination to push for reforms within the party.
Arise argued that no Nigerian political party could claim complete innocence regarding the country's electoral process. He recalled that political parties that once controlled the centre had also been defeated through electoral processes, arguing that the problem of internal democracy should therefore be viewed as a broader challenge facing Nigeria's political system rather than one peculiar to the APC. He reaffirmed his support for President Tinubu and defended the current administration's economic record.
Arise cited what he described as an increase in the country's foreign reserves and improved capacity to finance imports, machinery, equipment, goods and services. He stated that President Tinubu had fulfilled about 95 per cent of his campaign promises, including an economic turnaround for the country. Arise noted that the President inherited a foreign reserve of about $3 billion and that it had now increased to $55.25 billion.
Key points
- Senator Ayo Arise institutes legal action against APC to safeguard internal democracy.
- Arise disputes the outcome of the Ekiti North Senatorial primary election, citing alleged irregularities.
- Arise reaffirms his support for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and defends the administration's economic record.
