By Dipo Awojobi – The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC has rejected calls for the postponement of Ondo governorship election saying the poll slated for Saturday, November 26, will hold as scheduled.
Nigeria’s main opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, had urged the electoral body to shift the election to allow the Supreme Court take a decision on pending issues relating to its candidate for the election.
The Resident Electoral Commissioner for Ondo State, Olusegun Agbaje, on Sunday said the body has finalised 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 on,” Agbaje said.
He also noted that it was not reasonable to shift the election now because all the insensitive materials have been received in Akure.
He added that the sensitive materials were also ready and now with the Central Bank of Nigeria.
“Let them go and put their house in order, and settle their problems, we cannot allow that to hold us back.”
The official said a final stakeholders meeting will be held in Akure on Tuesday where the Chairman of INEC, Mahmood Yakubu, and the Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, will address all political parties on pending issues.
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.
