Blame Me For The Results Mix-Up In Ondo State – Prof. Kayode Soremekun

The Ondo State Collation Officer in charge of the Presidential and National Assembly elections, Prof. Kayode Soremekun, has owned up for the dispute which occurred while announcing the results, saying it was nothing but discrepancy.

According to Prof Kayode, it all started with the incnsistency between manually produced report he had with him and the electronic version that was shown on a screen.

Vanguard reported that there was a saga yesterday at the National Collation Centre in Abuja, when Prof Kaode Soremekun, International Relations scholar and Vice Chancellor of Federal University, Oye-Ekiti, could not match figures of results that has been announced.

After giving false figures, INEC chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, ordered him to stop what he was doing and come back later for a more appropraite presentation.

Soremekun, former Head, Department of International Relations at the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, has now told THE PUNCH in Abuja that if anyne was to blame for the error, it was him.

His wrds, “I think there was a discrepancy between the manually produced report which was in my possession and the electronic version which was being projected on the screen. As I read, the audience was able to see this contradiction and of course, they reacted, and they are right to have reacted.

“When this happened once and twice, we had to then go back to, as it were, retool. This retooling process took the form of robust interaction with relevant INEC staff. We then discovered that there was a transposition in the sense that there was a mix-up.

“The figures for one political party were given to the other, but in the context of the interaction with INEC staff, this transposition was corrected. By the time we corrected it, we were then able to, more or less get out of the situation.

I don’t want to blame anybody for this, so to that extent, I take responsibility.”

“I don’t want to generalise because generalisations, by their very nature, are dangerous. I see it more as a questioning spirit on the part of Nigerians, the questions they raised is an integral part of our democratic experience.

“I can only say that individuals, including myself, should be less finicky and fastidious about certain things. I’ve said, I take responsibility and that says it all and captures the entire situation.”