SENIOR staff of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) were lodged in the same hotel as the All Progressives Congress (APC) party chieftains on the eve of the election slated for Saturday, July 16, 2022, The ICIR investigation reveals.
On Friday, July 15, The ICIR and City Voice reporters sighted Ogun State Governor Dapo Abiodun and Ekiti State Governor Kayode Fayemi, both members of the APC National Campaign Council for the Osun State Governorship Election, at Aenon Suites & Hotel located at Femi Adefila Crescent GRA, Osogbo, the state capital.
Fayemi is also chairman of the Nigerian Governor’s Forum (NGF).
In the same hotel were Kunle Ajayi, the INEC national commissioner for Ogun, Ondo and Osun states; Bala Bila Chairman, Electoral Committee for Osun State election and several other INEC officials.
Many of the staff donned INEC branded jackets. Professor Ajayi and a few senior INEC officials wore red INEC jackets.
The ICIR learnt that INEC chairman, Professor Mahmood Yakubu also lodged at Aenon hotel on Wednesday when he came to sign the Peace Accord with the 15 political parties registered for the Osun Election.
The INEC chairman left the hotel on Thursday.
The ICIR requested the list of the guests at the hotel for further clarification, but the staff declined.
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But an insider confirmed to The ICIR that all the residents in the hotels are Governor’s guests.
The ICIR contacted the Chief Press Secretary to the INEC Chairman, Rotimi Oyekanmi.
He said: “That must be a coincidence. Hotels are very difficult to get at this election time. Even when we went for the Stakeholders’ meeting last week, our team was split into two because we couldn’t get one hotel to accommodate all of us. Most of the hotels were fully booked.”
The ICIR also called Ismail Omipidan, the Chief Press Secretary to Governor Oyetola; he did not answer his calls.
Ajibola Amzat, Managing Editor at The ICIR. He can be reached via aaamzat@icirnigeria.org
and @ajibolaamzat on Twitter.