Ajayi To INEC: Use Edo Election To Promote Genuine Democracy

The governorship candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in Ondo State, Hon. Agboola Ajayi, has charged the Independent Electoral Commission (INEC) to use tomorrow’s exercise in Edo to register itself as a promoter of democratic values.

Ajayi implored the electoral umpire to reanimate the electorate’s trust in the electoral body by conducting a credible, free, and fair election on Saturday.

Speaking in Akure on Friday, Ajayi said there is a need for transparency and fairness in handling both the Edo and Ondo state’s off-cycle elections.

The former Deputy Governor said “Credible election will revive the trust of voters in our electoral activities. The INEC has a great assignment on its hands tomorrow. The assignment is to ensure that the Edo election is fair and transparent enough to avoid any kind of litigation.

“No doubt, INEC will be the most beneficiary of a credible election in Edo, because the electoral body has a point to prove. In the recent elections, the number of people who came out to vote reduced drastically, and this is because of a lack of trust in the system, but INEC can help in this regard.

” Our people needed to be assured that their votes count. They needed the assurance that when they queue in the sun and in the rain to vote, BVAS would not suddenly become irrelevant, and figures would not just be written; instead, they would be transparently counted while ballot box snatching would not suddenly become a norm. We need credible elections to move our democracy from its nascent state to maturity.

Ajayi opined that the Edo and Ondo states elections are very important and good opportunities for INEC to demonstrate it is not partial and not working for the ruling government as many are insinuating.

His words “I want to plead with every interest partaking in tomorrow’s exercise including the voters, to be law-abiding, peaceful and orderly, so that INEC can do its job the way it should be done without excuses

” I also want to implore the Inspector General of Police, to ensure that his men perform their role creditably well and in tandem with international standard practice. Other security agencies should also work in accordance with the laws that establish them during the election and for our democracy to thrive.”