With barely 18-days to the conduct of year 2019 general elections, Ogun state governor, Ibikunle Amosun has warned the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) not to take the people of the state for granted if it doesn’t want to witness crisis during the elections.
The governor emphatically charged the commission to ensure that votes of the people in the state truly count in the forthcoming general elections.
Amosun gave the warning on Tuesday while speaking at the stakeholder’s forum on year 2019 general elections, organised by INEC which held at the June-12 Cultural Center in Abeokuta, the state capital.
The governor, who was represented at the event by the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Barrister Taiwo Adeoluwa, emphasised that Ogun has track record of being peaceful, particularly during the conduct of all past elections, stressing that the state would sustain that legacy,
He also noted that electoral violence usually occur in situations where results of elections are compromised by the electoral umpires.
“We have always had peaceful elections and so, we pledge to INEC that we shall do everything possible to sustain this legacy of peace, warmth and accommodation of people”.
“We also pledge to cooperate with INEC to ensure that the elections are hitch free. However, our people must not be taken for granted. We want a free and fair election: INEC must ensure that the votes of our people truly count.
“We are not afraid of anybody. We knew ourselves. All the political parties know how they stand; we know where we are with our people”
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“Crisis usually starts when people discovered that their votes don’t count. We will continue to tell our people to shun violence because INEC is here to serve all of us. We should peacefully exercise our rights”.
“We have confidence in INEC that it will do justice to all. Trouble starts when this justice seems not to have been done”.
Earlier in his opening remarks, the commission’s Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in the state, Professor Abdul-GaniyuRaji Olayinka said the commission had been able to identify some flash points across the state where electoral violence are likely to occur.
He explained that the essence of the forum was to intimate all the participating political parties and other stakeholders on the level of preparedness of the commission for the conduct of the elections.
The Ogun REC however, warned prospective voters in the state not to approach any polling station with “obsolete” voters’ card except those issued and obtained between year 2011 till the continuous voters registration exercise ended in November 2017.
Olayinka, who disclosed that a total number of 780, 979 Permanent Voter’s Cards (PVCs) still remain uncollected as at 22nd January, also explained that INEC would stop issuance of PVCs to owners by 8th February, 2019 to enable the commission concentrate on businesses of conducting hitch free general elections.
While soliciting the supports of all the stakeholders in the state to enable his commission conduct a hitch free exercise, the Ogun REC also enjoined stakeholders to always call the attention of the commission to any issue observed rather than attacking its personnel on any alleged wrong doing.
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