Uba Sani, governor of Kaduna state and chairman of the APC campaign council for the Ekiti governorship election, has defended the ruling party’s victory, saying opposition parties failed to mount a serious campaign.
Sani spoke on Sunday during an interview with Seun Okinbaloye on Channels Television in Ado-Ekiti.
His comments come amid allegations by opposition parties that the election was marred by irregularities and vote-buying.
‘We campaigned across the state’
The Kaduna governor said the APC invested significant resources and manpower in its campaign.
According to him, party leaders traversed the state in the weeks leading to the election.
“I am the chairman of the APC campaign organisation for the Ekiti state governorship election,” he said.
“Myself and about 14 governors, members of the national assembly, and the Ekiti state local organising committee headed by Senator Opeyemi Bamidele have been going around in the last one week.”
Furthermore, Sani said he personally participated in the campaign across the state.
“In fact, I came into this town about two months ago and we were around the whole 16 local governments,” he said.
‘Opposition candidates did not campaign’
Meanwhile, the governor dismissed claims that the APC manipulated the election.
Instead, he argued that opposition parties failed to establish a presence at the grassroots level.
“Clearly, the opposition would agree with me that I have been in Ekiti for many days and I saw no sign that any opposition candidate was actually campaigning,” he said.
“Unfortunately, we didn’t see any opposition candidate campaigning either at the level of polling units or at the ward level.”
‘APC had structures in all polling units’
Sani added that the APC deployed supporters and party officials across the state ahead of the election.
According to him, the party maintained a presence in all polling units and wards.
“We have people on ground in all the 177 wards and the 2,445 polling units in the state,” he said.
INEC declared Biodun Oyebanji, the APC candidate and incumbent governor, winner of the election after he secured victory in all 16 local government areas of Ekiti state.
