As the Ondo governorship election approaches, concerns are mounting over the ability of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Chairman, Professor Mahmood Yakubu, to deliver a free, fair, and transparent poll in the State.
Critics argue that recent actions and decisions by the INEC leadership cast doubt on the commission’s impartiality, and that under Yakubu’s leadership, the commission has failed to demonstrate the independence and credibility required for conducting an election that truly reflects the will of the people.
Despite promises of reform and transparency, allegations of bias and manipulation continue to swirl around INEC, especially in the context of Ondo State’s upcoming gubernatorial race.
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The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has also called for the removal of the Ondo State Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Mrs. Babalola Oluwatoyin, ahead of the poll
The opposition party said a new REC “with a non-partisan official with no previous association with Ondo State” be brought in. The Ondo PDP said the removal of Mrs. Babalola would restore public confidence in the Commission’s integrity.
The governor of Oyo state, Seyi Makinde, also declared that the PDP would not watch and allow a repeat of the shenanigans that took place in the Edo State governorship election.
Political analyst, Benjamin Azubuike, said the handling of the governorship election in Edo, last month, leaves doubt in the minds of the residents of Ondo state. He said Yakubu has not demonstrated the needed leadership to trust that the electoral commission is capable of organising a free and fair poll.
“It is sad that despite the resources available to INEC, the commission has failed to organsie credible off-cycle elections. From our interactions with residents of Ondo state, there are growing apprenhension that the election will go the way of Edo state where INEC displayed high level bias and incompetency. Recently, INEC chairman, Yakubu admitted that the Edo election had issues. This is sad that INEC can’t hold election in one state of the federation,” he said.
Azubuike who spoke in Akure, Ondo state capital, said working closely with seven pro-democracy groups in the state has revealed that there is also lack of adequate preparations for the election in Ondo, which may led to logistical and administrative challenges during the exercise.
He said the group found out that the insistence of Yakubu to retain the Ondo REC despite growing opposition, signal an attempt to tilt the playing field in favour of the ruling party.
“Yakubu’s leadership has been marked by inefficiency, a lack of transparency, and a failure to build trust among the electorate. We call on the international community and civil society groups to closely monitor INEC’s activities in the lead-up to the election, fearing that any further missteps could further erode the public’s confidence in the electoral process,” he said.
He called for the INEC Chairman’s resignation or immediate reform of the commission, insisting that free and fair elections in Ondo State can only be ensured with leadership that the people can truly trust.
