The All Progressives Congress, APC, House of Representatives candidate for Ekiti South Federal Constituency, Engr. Toyin Okoro, has asked incumbent lawmaker, AVM Rufus Adeniyi Ojuawo (Rtd), to accept his defeat at the party’s primary and stop orchestrating a campaign of calumny against him.
Okoro said he would not be distracted by a sponsored media report claiming he was “grilled over alleged contract fraud” by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, ICPC.
In a statement in Abuja on Friday, the Toyin Okoro Campaign Council said its candidate only honoured an ICPC invitation to respond to a petition, which he did as a law-abiding citizen.
“An invitation to clarify issues is a routine procedure and does not amount to guilt, indictment or conviction. But in his mischievous and desperate manner, Ojuawo, who is apparently behind the petition to the ICPC, sponsored the media report aimed at discrediting the candidate of his own party just because he lost his bid to return to the House of Representatives in 2027,” it said.
The Council, in the statement signed by its Director of Media, Strategy and Publicity, Yomi Abegunde, described Okoro as a law-abiding Nigerian with no criminal record, adding that “he 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.”
The Council said the petition alleged that Okoro operated as Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of a private company while serving as Senior Legislative Aide at the National Assembly.
“We state categorically that Engr Toyin Okoro never broke any law as he duly resigned as Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of a private company when he was appointed as Senior Legislative Aide at the National Assembly,” it said.
It accused Ojuawo of embarking on a desperate mission to truncate the mandate freely given to Okoro after losing the primary conducted in May 2026.
“Before the primary election, Ojuawo petitioned the APC Screening Committee that screened aspirants, seeking the disqualification of Engr. Toyin Okoro. The Committee dismissed his petition for lack of merit and cleared him to contest.
“In the same vein, he sponsored another frivolous petition challenging the origin of Engr. Toyin Okoro as a bona fide son of Ise-Ekiti. This also failed woefully as his root and indigeneship are incontestable and well documented,” the Council stated.
It added: “Having failed at the party level, Ojuawo has approached the court challenging the outcome of a primary election he lost woefully. The matter is subjudice and we are confident the judiciary will uphold the will of the people.
“Realizing that all his moves have collapsed, Ojuawo has now resorted to weaponizing a respected state institution by sponsoring a phantom petition to the ICPC to embarrass and distract our candidate.”
The Council urged the public and supporters across Ikere, Ekiti South-West and Ise/Orun Local Governments to disregard the campaign.
“We also call on the Government of Ekiti State, the National Leadership of the 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.
“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,” the Council added.
