•APC, PDP distance selves from allegations of rigging plots
•INEC distributes non-sensitive materials, assures of credible election
•2.05m voters to decide Aiyedatiwa, Ajayi, 15 others’ fate
By Dayo Johnson
BARELY 36 days to the November 16 governorship election in Ondo State, all the political parties are yet to begin campaigns, which ought to have commenced on June 19, according to the Independent National Electoral Commission, INECs timetable.
While the opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has appointed a former commissioner, Clement Faboyede, as the Director-General of the party’s governorship campaign council, the ruling party All Progressive Congress, APC, named House of Representatives member representing Ondo East/ Ondo West Federal Constituency, Abiola Makinde, as its campaign D-G.
APC is fielding Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa as its governorship standard bearer while the PDP has former Deputy Governor, Agboola Ajayi, as its candidate.
The PDP has equally constituted a campaign council with Governor of Osun State, Ademola Adeleke, as the chairman.
Subtle campaigns
The inauguration of the APC campaign committee has been shifted twice.
Vanguard’s checks showed that the Agboola Ajayi campaign Organisation, has commenced subtle campaigns across the state but has not embarked on a full-blown campaign.
The electorate across the state have become agitated by this development because campaigns by parties are expected to have commenced since June 19, going by the INEC timetable.
No need for campaign
Political analysts who expressed concern over the current inertia in the polity, said it was an indication that the parties may be strategizing to engage in vote-buying rather than waste time cross- crossing the state to campaign for votes.
Those interviewed described the development as worrisome and a minus to the nation’s nascent democracy.
Why we didn’t do official flag-off —PDP
Contacted on the delay in kick-starting its political campaigns, Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Kennedy Peretei, said: ” We have started campaigns since 19th June, 2024. The only thing we did not do was an official flag off of the Campaigns. The National and State Campaign Councils were inaugurated as well as various local government campaign committees. We adopted a strategy of reaching out to the individual voters who hold the aces on election day.”
On allegations of not campaigning because of plans to buy votes, Peretei said: “We don’t need to induce voters because they already know where the shoe pinches them and are ready to change the tide for a better life.
“Financial inducement is the plan of those who have stolen from our Treasury and use hunger as a weapon to garner votes. But I can assure you that this time, their plans will fail because the people are wiser now.”
Why we are yet to start campaigns —APC
Also speaking, the APC Publicity Secretary, Alex Kalejaye, said: ” You know as much as I do that the governorship campaign requires a lot of planning, and strategy behind the scenes. Committees will be put in place, stakeholders will look at all these, interests will come and you will consider them before you finally release the list.
“The Ondo APC has gone through all these and the list is now ready to be released to the public and the committee will start working immediately.
“So, that’s what has kept us going. We have to capture the various interests. You know we have other governorship aspirants who were angry after the primary. We have successfully appealed to them and now, we need to capture their interests in whatever we do. This was partially responsible for the delay we experienced but as I said, right now, the list is ready.
“We are set for the campaigns. We also have our plan to go around and campaign vigorously and decently across the 18 local government areas and all the wards. Once we start sailing, we won’t have any hindrance because everything has been sorted behind the scenes.
“We have finalized our campaign timetable and everything that has to do with the campaign. In a matter of one or two days, we are flagging off the campaign. Once that is done, no stopping until we cover the length and breadth of the state.
“The APC has unbeatable structure in all the local government areas, wards and even the polling units. We have committees that have been canvassing for votes, we have committees that have been meeting people and telling them what the government has done for the good people of Ondo State and why they need to renew the mandate given to us.
“So, this is where we are and if we’re doing all these, we have no reason to be contemplating buying of votes because it’s not part of our strategies and agenda.
“Our thinking is to continue to meet the people, to continue to showcase what we’ve done and why they should trust us with their votes on November 16.
So, we’re working to continue to win people to our side, to continue to appeal to them to see reasons why APC should be the party. So, we’re not contemplating buying votes, it’s an allegation and it’s expected at a time like this.”
INEC distributes non-sensitive materials, assures of credible election
Meanwhile, the state Resident Electoral Commissioner, REC, Mrs. Oluwatoyin Babalola, told journalists that 17 political parties will be participating in the election.
Babalola noted that three of the parties will not be having agents at all levels of polling and collation during the exercise.
“After the closure of the portal for the upload of polling and collation agents for the Ondo State governorship election, out of 74,790 expected agents, the political parties contesting in the election only uploaded 24,148 agents to the portal, indicating that only 32.3 percent of the expected agents were nominated on the portal. Three political parties have no agents at all levels of polling and collation,” she disclosed.
War against rigging
On vote buying, the REC said: “We are working assiduously with security operatives, and they have shown us tremendous support. Security personnel will be deployed across all polling units, collation centres, and strategic locations to prevent any form of electoral malpractice or violence.
“In our Inter-agency Consultative Committee on Election Security, we have ICPC and EFCC. They have assured us that they have structures in place to prevent and arrest vote sellers and the buyers.”
The REC noted that “a large percentage of non-sensitive materials required for the election have been received and deployed to the 18 LGA offices.
Babalola added that 58,708 new voters have been added to the commission’s electoral register in preparation for the election.
“The updated voter statistics indicate that over 2,053,061 individuals will participate in the upcoming election.
“The breakdown includes more than 1,034,006 male voters, 1,019,055 female voters, 726,944 youths, 721,982 middle-aged individuals, and 441,516 elderly voters, along with 162,619 senior citizens and 1,782 persons with disabilities (PWDs).”
The REC assured Ondo people that the “INEC is fully committed to conducting a credible, transparent, and inclusive election in Ondo State.”
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