Eminent Nigerians, who converged at the NCFront virtual intervention rally on Ondo Decides 2020, on Thursday, have tasked political stakeholders in Ondo State not to toy with their democratic future and well-being by tolerating acts of electoral violence and vote buying or buying.
The warning was given ahead of the governorship election coming up on Saturday, October 10, 2020.
The stakeholders engagement, moderated by co-chairman of the NCFront, Prof Pat Utomi in a terse communiqué however, mandated all allied observers of NCFront accredited by INEC to ensure they were vigilant for concrete visual evidences of any form of violence and sharp practices perpetrated by party agents and supporters.
The forum which received goodwill messages from Governor Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State and Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State also got reports from the chairman of the media and publicity committee of the Zenith Labour Party, ZLP, Eni Akinsola on the murder of one of their party stalwarts, Mr Taiye Okafor in Idanre, Ondo State by political assassins, who are still at large.
The Governor of Ekiti of Ekiti State, while speaking through his representative, Mr Biodun Omoleye, counselled all stakeholders in the Nigerian electoral process to shun electoral corruption and violence, which he said had become major impediment to inclusive democratic governance in the country.
While stressing the need to ensure level playing field in the elections, the Executive Assistant to the Governor of Oyo State, Idowu Ogedengbe, also queried INEC’s alleged deployment of an indigene of Owo, home town of the sitting Governor of Ondo State, Rotimi Akeredolu as returning officer for the elections in which the governor is a contestant.
He warned that such ought not be allowed in order not to taint the outcome of the election.
In his response, Prof Pat Utomi said NCFront monitors and observers who were already on ground in Ondo State, would be immediately tasked to carry out due diligence on all alleged infractions and would be requested to send in their findings urgently to the national secretariat.
He also implored all stakeholders to carry out their due diligence on matters of electoral fraud and not to allow any alleged malfeasance to derail the Ondo electoral process.
The forum in conclusion charged security agencies to immediately fish out the killers of the ZLP party member in Idanre and to ensure that all acts of thuggery, brigandage, violence and electoral corruption were foiled and exposed.
The forum also charged voters and political actors to resist and desist from vote buying and selling as NCFront cadres monitoring the elections had been fully mobilised to ensure all forms of malpractices were exposed.
