Ekiti State Governor Dr. Kayode Fayemi, on Tuesday, May 17 picked holes with the rigging allegations by erstwhile All Progressives Congress Chairman, Adams Oshiomhole and a former State Attorney General and Social Democratic Party chieftain, Owoseeni Ajayi, saying they were an attempt to tarnish his image.

The Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Olayinka Oyebode, said: “Fayemi remains steadfast in pursuing his aspiration to get the APC ticket for the 2023 presidential election. There is no amount of mudslinging from disenchanted individuals that would distract or discourage him”.

While Oshiomhole, in a television interview, accused Fayemi of asking him to rig the election during his tenure as APC chairman, Ajayi, in a petition, alleged that the governor had constituted a task force to disrupt the June 18 Ekiti governorship election.

Oyebode in a statement titled, ‘Oshiomhole’s allegation laughable, a figment of his imagination, said: “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.

“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.

“It is on record that Fayemi was not responsible for Oshiomhole’s removal as Chairman of the APC. He has his ward executives and the courts to blame for that.

“The Ekiti State governor has always considered Oshiomhole a friend and political associate even if they had fundamental differences over his kangaroo approach of disqualifying Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State from the APC primaries and his unconscionable autocratic management of party affairs whilst he was chairman of the party.”

Oyebode also, in another statement titled, ‘Ekiti 2022: Owoseeni Ajayi’s allegations, highly irresponsible’, said the SDP chieftain’s allegation that a task force had been constituted to disrupt the Ekiti election “would have been ignored as another dubious fabrication from the stable of the troubled SDP, but for the fact, a supposed learned fellow wrote it.”

The CPS said: “It is rather ridiculous that a former AG of the state is the one assigned the role of a chief fiction writer for the dying party. More saddening is the relish with which he undertook concocting the spurious allegations.

“While we pity Ajayi for descending to this low level of engagement, we urge the relevant security agencies in the state to thoroughly investigate the allegations contained in the report, to determine the truth of the matter, and take necessary steps to ensure that purveyors of lies and those who make false claims are brought to book.”

Oyebode stated that the “Fayemi administration remains committed to improving the quality of lives of Ekiti citizens through effective implementation of the five-point development agenda.”

It will be recalled that Oshiomhole who until recently pulled out of the presidential race to focus on the Edo North senatorial seat said in an interview with Channels TV that Fayemi approached him to help him rig the 2018 gubernatorial polls which he eventually won.