Ondo 2016: INEC under pressure to postpone election

– The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is under pressure to move the Ondo state governorship election on November 26 

– Stakeholders have asked the electoral body to postpone the date of the election by at least three weeks to allow all court cases relating to the candidacy of the major parties to be resolved

– There are legal tangos over the governorship tickets of three of the major political parties in state which are the Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP) All Progressives Congress (APC) and Alliance for Democracy (AD)

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is under pressure to postpone the November 26 governorship election in Ondo state.

Stakeholders in the state have asked the electoral body to shift the date of the poll by at least three weeks to allow all court cases relating to the candidacy of the major parties to be resolved, Vanguard reports.

READ ALSO: Governor Oshiomhole hands over to Obaseki

There are legal battles over the governorship tickets of three of the major political parties in the state which are the Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP) All Progressives Congress (APC) and Alliance for Democracy (AD).

The governorship candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) Dr Olu Agunloye is the only aspirant free of legal battle as his primary and that of his deputy, Modupe Akindele, went peacefully.

The candidacy of the APC Candidate, Rotimi Akeredolu, SAN is being challenged by the first runner up in the primary, Olusegun Abraham.

AD’s andidate, Olusola Oke, has been dragged to the Federal High courts both in Ondo and Abuja while Eyitayo Jegede, SAN, is at the Court of Appeal to retrieve his PDP ticket from Jimoh Ibrahim.

Olusegun Agbaje, the state Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), has insisted that the election would not be postponed, recent developments as regards the court cases may necessitate a shift in the date.

However, the Ondo Rebirth Group ORG weekend advised that the INEC to postpone the poll for the sake of equity and justice.

READ ALSO: We need hard work and commitment to win Ondo – Oyegun

Meanwhile, former Attorney General and Justice Commissioner in Ondo state, Eyitayo Jegede SAN says he is very close to retrieving his mandate using the instrumentality of the rule of law.

Jegede dropped the hint while speaking to newsmen in Abuja after the Special Panel of the Appeal Court granted him leave to appeal Justice Okon Abang’s ruling which ordered the substitution of his name with that of Jimoh Ibrahim as Peoples Democratic Party candidate for the November 26 governorship election.

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