By Dayo Johnson
A HUMAN Rights activist and former governorship aspirant of the All Progressives Congress in Ondo State, Dr. Tunji Abayomi yesterday said that the governorship candidate of the Alliance for Democracy, Chief Olusola Oke was not qualified to contest the November 26, governorship election.

Abayomi has therefore called on INEC to disqualify Oke and his running mate, Mr. Gani Dauda for allegedly not  being eligible to contest the poll.

Speaking in Akure, Abayomi alleged that both Oke and his deputy did not participate in the primary of the AD, which according to him, was against provisions of the Electoral Act.

Olusola Oke,

He further alleged that the duo got the nomination of the AD through a back door arrangement.

“Nobody can contest an election in the country unless he or she is a member a political party. In the case of Oke and his deputy, they neither participated in nor were they elected in a primary. Oke can only be a candidate of the APC where he contested but he didn’t win the primary .  The Electoral Act says he must be elected by the members of AD and they must vote for him in a primary. A party is not allowed to nominate a candidate without the candidate participating in the primary of the party.

He said that INEC did not attend or supervise the primary that produced Oke as the candidate of the AD.

But reacting, the Director-General of the Olusola Oke Campaign Organization, Mr. Bola Ilori said publishing the name of Oke in the list of the candidates by the INEC had shown his eligibility to contest the election. Ilori said nomination process of the AD candidate followed due process.

According to him “Dr. Abayomi is not a member of the AD and he has no right to be interfering in the affairs of our party. He should face the internal problem in his party. Nomination of Oke as the AD candidate followed due process, that is why INEC published his name. It amuses me when somebody of another party is taking pain killers  for the headache of another party.