The South-West chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has thrown its weight behind Governor Seyi Makinde’s demand for the redeployment of the Resident Electoral Commissioner, REC, in charge of Ondo State, Mrs. Oluwatoyin Babalola.
According to report Makinde had told the chairman of the
Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Yakubu
Mahmood, to immediately remove the REC, stating that she hails from Ondo State.
Makinde had said, “This message is for the INEC national chairman, Prof. Yakubu Mahmood; you must remove the Resident Electoral Commissioner in Ondo State, Mrs. Oluwatoyin Babalola; she is from Ondo State. What they did in Edo State, they cannot do in Ondo State.
“We will protest until she is removed. Bring another REC that will be fair and that will allow a level playing field. We, as PDP, are not
afraid of a fair contest. Remove her; otherwise, we will continue to
protest.”
In a statement issued on Wednesday, the Southwest PDP expressed its support for Governor
Makinde’s call.
According to the statement signed by Sanya Atofarati, on behalf of the party, the call was to ensure the credibility of the upcoming November governorship election in the state.
He said that Babalola’s alleged ties to the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, made her unfit to oversee the upcoming election.
He warned that any attempt to manipulate the election through Mrs. Babalola or other APC leaders would be met with strong resistance.
Atofarati said, “The Southwest PDP remains resolute in their support for the redeployment of Mrs. Toyin Babalola, who is currently the
INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner in Ondo State, because she cannot be trusted to superintend the November governorship election due to her conspicuous ties with the ruling APC in the state.
“The people of Ondo State, especially the downtrodden, are particularly concerned about the upcoming election, and INEC has the responsibility to ensure transparency and accountability in the electoral processes.
“The people will not tolerate any act of manipulation by a known ally of the State Governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa and other APC leaders.
“It is evident now that the people of Ondo State have resolved to vote for the PDP candidate, His Excellency, Agboola Ajayi, in the November election, and any attempt to impose a known manipulator through INEC will be strongly resisted.”
The PDP also claimed that “Mrs. Babalola was born in the Igbara Odo area; now Igbara Odo is in Ekiti South West of Old Ondo State.
“After the creation of Ekiti State in 1996, that area was now demarcated into Ekiti State. However, throughout her life, she grew up in Ondo State.
“So let no one fool us; either she claims Ekiti State now or not; she was born, bred, and grew up in Ondo State.
“It will be honourable for the INEC chairman to at least be honourable for once and do the right thing.
“The main question is: Must it be Mrs. Babalola? In a country of over 200 million talented individuals, why
is INEC finding it difficult to replace her?”
Meanwhile, the INEC, also on Tuesday, via a post in its X account, responded to Makinde’s comments, maintaining that the REC is not from Ondo State.
However, the commission did not mention her state of origin.
“For the avoidance of doubt, Mrs. Babalola is not from Ondo State, in line with the Commission’s policy not to deploy a REC to his or her
state of origin,” the commission stated.
