The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has ignored calls by many political parties for it to postpone the Ondo governorship election scheduled for this week’s Saturday, November 26.
The Resident Electoral Commissioner for Ondo State, Olusegun Agbaje said that the Commission has finalized preparations for the election and it won’t be ideal to postpone the poll because of one party.
“With this level of preparation, we cannot be talking about postponement. There are 28 political parties contesting the election, we cannot postpone it because of just one party.”
“This is a pre-election issue, it can go on even up to the Supreme Court, so we cannot wait for that. The election must go.”
He said that it is not reasonable to shift the election now because all the insensitive materials have been received in Akure, adding that the sensitive materials were also ready and now with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
“Let them go and put their house in order, and settle their problems, we cannot allow that to hold us back.”
The Ondo chapter of the PDP was thrown into crisis following INEC’s decision to replace Eyitayo Jegede with Jimoh Ibrahim. Both men are candidates of different factions of the PDP.
Jegede is the candidate of the Ahmed Markafi led faction of PDP while Ibrahim is the candidate of the Ali-Modu Sheriff faction.
Jegede however challenged the judgment of the High Court, which ordered his replacement.
His appeal is still pending at the Abuja Court of Appeal which has adjourned its sitting on the case indefinitely. [myad]
