Meet Jimoh Olawole, politician who once rejected victory because ‘election was rigged in his favour’

A Kwara politician, Jimoh Olawole displayed an attribute rarely possessed by those in the political sphere, which many termed ‘true patriotism’.

In 2013, he was declared winner of an election in Kwara State, but he in a shocking twist, he rejected the victory.

Olawole, a Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, councillor candidate in Offa Local Government Area alleged that the election was rigged in his favour by the party in power.

The Kwara state electoral commissioner had announced that PDP won the ward, Olawole said All Progressives Congress defeated his party.

According to the honourable man, the APC candidate polled 1,213 whereas the PDP had only 568 votes.

To buttress his claim, a presiding officer in the election, Oyetunji Akeem came with copies of the results in Shawo Central to a press conference organized by chieftains of APC in Offa and debunked PDP claims of victory in the ward.

He explained that there were eight voting units in the ward and that the PDP candidate, Olawole did not win a single polling unit going by the counting he witnessed himself.

Also, Hassan Oyeleke, who was a member of Kwara State House of Assembly at the time, said during the media briefing that in 86 polling centres 500 votes were recorded each and it would have accounted for 43,000 votes as against the 57,000 that the Commission earlier announced.

The APC Chairmanship candidate in 2013, Prince Saheed Popoola, blamed Kwara State Independent Electoral Commission, KWASIEC and its chairman, Dr. Uthman Ajidagba for their attempt to manipulate the election.

He condemned the state electoral body for announcing the result in Ilorin, the state capital and not Offa where the election took place.

Popoola also asked why it had to be announced on Kwara Radio which is against the Nigerian Broadcasting Commission, (NBC) laws.