By Emeka Nze
Abuja
Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has stated that at no time did its Acting Director (Legal), Mrs. Toyin Babalola, demanded from Barr Jimoh Ibrahim a bribe of $1million to comply with the ruling of Justice Okon Abang of the Federal High Court, Abuja as Jimoh alleged in a media reports.
Justice Abang, last week pronounced Ibrahim the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) against the candidature of Mr. Eyitayo Jegede, as the governorship candidate of Ondo state, produced by the Senator Ahmed Makarfi faction.
A statement issued yesterday by INEC’s National Commissioner , Prince Adedeji Soyebi, stated that “Mr. Ibrahim turned up at the INEC headquarters, Abuja unannounced, made his way to Mrs. Babalola’s office, brandished a copy of the court document and insisted that INEC should accept him as the official candidate of the PDP for the Ondo governorship poll.
“On sighting the unexpected guest (Ibrahim), Mrs. Babalola called three other lawyers in her department to witness her encounter with Mr. Ibrahim and politely told him that the Commission was already in possession of the court document.
“At no time during the encounter that lasted less than 15 minutes did Mrs. Babalola ask for $1million. Therefore, the allegation by Mr. Ibrahim is false”, Soyebi stated.
The statement noted that court orders/judgments “are served by court bailiffs and not individual”.
It further noted that “INEC only receives nomination papers from the national chairmen of political parties or their designated officials and not aspirants.”
On Ibrahim’s accusation of ‘dirty deals’ against the Commission’s Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) for Ondo state, Mr. Segun Agbaje, Soyebi stated that “the Commission discovered that it was Ibrahim, who through an intermediary, tried to arrange a meeting with the 0ndo state REC in London.
He disclosed that Agbaje promptly declined the meeting with him in far away London and insisted that if Ibrahim wanted to see him (Agbaje), he was free to do so at the Ondo state INEC office during official hours.
“Therefore, lbrahim’s allegation cannot be the correct account of what actually took place”, the statement said.
