Chuks Okocha and Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has cautioned the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) over the deployment of officials with known ‘integrity issues’ capable of triggering crisis and jeopardising the credibility of the Kogi and Bayesla States governorship elections.
The National Publicity Secretary of the party, Mr. Kola Ologbondiyan, in a statement yesterday kicked against the deployment of extra national commissioners as well as Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs) from other states to Kogi and Bayelsa States for the November 16 governorship elections.
The main opposition party told INEC hierarchy that the PDP already has a due diligence report on each of the commissioners.
Ologbondiyan stressed that the party recognised that while some of them have clean records in their previous responsibilities, there are others who are known to be of questionable character and fared far below expectations in their responsibilities.
According to him, “The PDP cautions the Chairman of INEC, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, to note that the deployment of officials with known integrity issues is capable of triggering crisis and jeopardising the credibility of the electoral process.
“It is also important to state that Kogi and Bayelsa States elections present an opportunity for INEC to show that it has become committed to free, fair and credible election without being influenced or manipulated.”
The PDP, therefore, called on the INEC chairman to rescue whatever is left of the commission’s image with these elections by allowing the will of the people to prevail.
