Candidate of the Accord Party (A) in the August 16 bye -election for Ikenne, Remo North and Sagamu Federal Constituency of Ogun State, Hon. Oke Rotimi Michael, has rejected in totality the results declared by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC)
In a statement in on Sunday night, Oke described the bye – election as an outrage to the conscience of Ogun State and alarm signal to Nigeria’s electoral destiny.
He deplored the celebration of the outcome in some quarters, saying the celebrators were not celebrating democracy but “daylight theft of votes” and “tyranny.”
He noted that the INEC declared winner didn’t deserve congratulations.
Also describing it as shameful and a mockery of democracy, Oke said that he was no longer wondering why a foreign court reportedly expressed concern recently about the integrity of some people occupying seats of power, compelling it to even label two political parties in Nigeria
According to him, what happened during the Remo bye – election further served to validate the negative declaration by a Canadian court.
The Accord candidate claimed that the manner of electoral victory procured through alleged intimidation and harassment is a testament that the winner and sponsor are not popular in the federal constituency.
He said, “How is it that a man who has been in power for over six years cannot win an election without the use of violence, intimidation, and daylight theft of votes? The truth lies clear: he has been spurned by his people. That such uncivilized crimes are happening in 2025 raises the question seriously, what sort of brutality will we see in 2027 if we do nothing now?”
The statement in full: “The Remo Federal Constituency Bye-Election on Saturday, 16th August, 2025, will rank as one of the darkest pages of Nigeria’s electoral history. Never before has there been a record of such an election as bad as this, as deadly as this, and as shamelessly rigged as this one we have just witnessed. Far from being democracy in action, it was the invasion of vampires and bloodsuckers in action.
If such an unholy evil could be carried out in broad daylight with the watchful eyes of security agencies who did nothing as touts, thugs, and mercenaries took to citizens beatings, maimed innocents, terrorized voters, intimidated party agents, disenfranchised electorates, and snatched ballot boxes, then what do we expect to witness in 2027 when the next general elections are held?
Ogun State power has now clearly been taken over by tyrants and dictators. The Sagamu Local Government Area was transformed into a war zone on election day. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), being a so-called neutral umpire, declared the exercise “free and fair” hurriedly. But I ask once again, was there an election? Yes. Was it free and fair? Far from it.
Reports of open ballot stealing, savage intimidation, and systematic harassment occupied virtually all the polling centers. It is painful to now see congratulatory remarks in newspapers and online sites addressed to the so-called “winner.” Let facts be told: wishing congratulations to this so-called winner of this abhorrent exercise is nothing short of accrediting tyranny, violence, and assassination of democracy. Only a heart distant from heaven would assign credibility to such evil.
I, Hon. Oke Rotimi Michael, ACCORD Party candidate in the said bye-election, reject in totality the results declared by INEC. Remo Bye-Election was a shameful mockery of democracy. Little wonder that even beyond our shores, foreign courts are expressing concern about the integrity of those occupying seats of power, thereby declaring some political parties as terrorists. Indeed, their behaviour at this election only serves to vindicate such declaration by a Canadian Court.
How is it that a man who has been in power for over six years cannot win an election without the use of violence, intimidation, and daylight theft of votes? The truth lies clear: he has been spurned by his people. That such uncivilized crimes are happening in 2025 raises the question seriously, what sort of brutality will we see in 2027 if we do nothing now?
Remo Bye-Election is a shame to our democracy, an outrage to the conscience of Ogun State, and an alarm signal to Nigeria’s electoral destiny. Let history be told this way: the so-called celebrants of the winner are not celebrating democracy but jubilantly celebrating wickedness.
History will surely live beyond all of us. And those in power should note; “Power is Transient.”
