Ondo poll:  Wike says incumbency won’t work

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Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, on Friday alleged that the Independent National Electoral Commission and security agencies were under pressure to scuttle the will of the people during the October 10 governorship election in Ondo State.

Wike stated this during a television programme in Port Harcourt, according to a release from the state Commissioner for Information and Communications, Paulinus Nsirim.

The governor also said that Governor Rotimi Akeredolu’s incumbency would not work during the Ondo poll.

But Akeredolu fired back at Wike on Friday, warning him to steer clear of the October 10 governorship election in the state.

The Rivers governor said just as the people of Edo State fought against godfatherism, those of Ondo State would respond to the several unfulfilled promises made to them by the All Progressives Congress.

The statement read, “Having lost Edo State, everything will be done not to lose Ondo State because they know that will mean the end of the APC.  It is such pressure that is on INEC and the security agencies now that may lead to their compromising (SIC).

“I fear that INEC and the security agencies may succumb. But I pray they resist it and continue to defend democracy. In Ondo State, the will of the people is against them and incumbency will not work.”

Wike lamented that the Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, exhibited impunity when he ordered him (Wike) to leave Edo State during last Saturday’s governorship election in the state while his Imo and Kano states’ counterparts were not harassed. The PDP candidate and incumbent Governor Godwin Obaseki won the election.

Meanwhile, Ondo State Governor, Akeredolu, who spoke through the state Commissioner for Information, Mr Donald Ojogor, said there would not be any room for Wike to influence the governorship election.

Ojogor said, “What amuses us is his imperious attitude and recourse to spurious allegations just because of an election. He should know that the people of the Ondo State, who have a history of rejecting external influence and domination, will resist his attempt to play the role of a godfather in Ondo State. Ondo is not Rivers.

“The man ought to know that the utterances of public office holders must be measured and their delivery ought to be in line with the mood of the people. The people of the state will resist Wike here even if has roared elsewhere successfully.”

Also, INEC on Friday warned its electoral officers not to compromise their integrity for any reason ahead of the Ondo poll.

The INEC Chairman, Prof Mahmood Yakubu, read the riot act in Akure during a meeting with the electoral officers in the 18 local government areas of the state to review a number of issues and know the level of preparedness for the election.

He said, “Let me reiterate that the commission is confident in the capacity of the EOs to deliver free and fair elections. But I must emphasise that like Edo, we cannot lower the bar. We can only keep raising the bar.

“For us to deliver a successful election that is better than the previous elections, there are a number of issues that we need to take into consideration. Top on the list is personal integrity.”

Also, the PDP said on Friday that it welcomed the declaration by the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd), that he remained committed to deepening democracy and that his specific orders to security forces and INEC to play by the rules were reassuring.

The opposition party urged the President to repeat his orders to security forces and INEC ahead of the Ondo State governorship election scheduled for October 10.

The PDP National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, in an interview in Abuja, said, “We call on President Buhari to use the Ondo State governorship election to demonstrate his commitment so that it will not end up like other APC promises to Nigerians.”

Meanwhile, over 1,542 suspects arrested for aiding violence and attempting to disrupt the 2019 general elections have allegedly been released, a civil rights organisation under the aegis of Kimpact Development Initiative, said in a report on Friday.

 

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