Mr Toyin Okoro, the All Progressives Congress (APC) House of Representative candidate for Ekiti South Federal Constituency l, has admonished the incumbent House of Representatives member, AVM Rufus Ojuawo (Rtd), to move on and stop orchestrating campaigns of calumny against his intending successor.
Okoro in a statement signed by Yomi Abegunde Director, Media, Strategy and Publicity of Toyin Okoro campaign Council, advised him to accept his defeat at the primary election, saying that he cannot be distracted from his focus of winning the forthcoming elections.
The council was reacting to the allegations that Okoro was grilled over alleged contract fraud by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) on Friday.
“An invitation to clarify issues is a routine procedure and does not amount to guilt, indictment or conviction, but Ojuawo, who is allegedly behind the petition to the ICPC was aimed at discrediting Okoro simply because he lost his bid to return to the House of Representatives in 2027,”the Campaign Council said.
According to the statement, the APC Reps candidate only honoured the ICPC invitation to respond to a petition as a law-abiding citizen of Nigeria with zero record of criminal activity or fraud.
It added that Okoro has never been arrested, charged or convicted of any criminal offence in his life. He is a respected professional Engineer and public servant, who served meritoriously.
“We state categorically that Toyin Okoro, a registered engineer, has never been found wanting, the allegations was championed by those who are bent of campaign of calumny, obviously orchestrated by a wounded aspirant.
Ojuawo was defeated by Toyin Okoro at the APC primary election conducted in May 2026.
“It is important to note that since his defeat, Ojuawo has embarked on a relentless and desperate mission to truncate the mandate given to Okoro. His anti-democratic moves have been sequential.
“Before the primary election, Ojuawo petitioned the APC Screening Committee seeking Okoro’s disqualification, but it was dismissed for lack of merit and cleared Okoro to contest.
“In the same vein, he sponsored another frivolous petition challenging the origin of Toyin Okoro as a bona fide son of Ise-Ekiti, which also failed as his root and indigeneship are incontestable and well documented.
“Having failed at the party level, Ojuawo has approached the court challenging the outcome of a primary election, he lost.
“Realising that all his moves have collapsed, Ojuawo has now resorted to weaponising a respected state institution by sponsoring a phantom petition to the ICPC to embarrass and distract our candidate.
“We call on the general public, our teeming supporters across Ikere, Ekiti South-West and Ise/Orun Local Governments, and the good people of Ekiti State to disregard and ignore this campaign of calumny sponsored by a sore loser.
“We also call on the Government of Ekiti, State, the national leadership of APC, and all well-meaning stakeholders to pay close attention to these desperate moves capable of disrupting party unity.
“Most importantly, we call on the Inspector-General of Police, the Director-General of the Department of State Services (DSS) and all security agencies to ensure the protection of the life and property of Engr. Toyin Okoro and his family. We can no longer guarantee the extent to which Ojuawo can go in his desperation to stop him (Okoro) at all cost.
“We remind Ojuawo that the era of military intimidation, coercion and coup is gone and now a thing of the past. We are in a democratic era where the choice of the people must always be respected against all odds.
“The people have spoken through the primary election. The party has affirmed and INEC has approved. No amount of blackmail will stop our party, the APC from coming out victorious in the 2027 general elections.”
