Posted on: 07:25 Sat, 26 Nov 2016

Governor of Ondo State has accused the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the opposition of planning to rig the forthcoming gubernatorial election in Ondo State.



This, Mimiko disclosed when addressing a press conference today in Akure.

The Governor revealed that his meetings with President Buhari in recent weeks were aimed at intimating the President of the “challenges to law and security in the state owing to the activities of some political players whose sole intent is to subvert the electoral process and short change the people of Ondo State”

Mimiko also raised alarm that INEC were using the same strategy and team used to rig the election in Edo State, for the Ondo election which comes up on the 26th of November, 2016.

Below is a full text of Mimiko’s statement;
Recall that in the last few weeks, I have engaged with Mr President at least twice to appraise him of the challenge to law and security in our State owing to the activities of some political players whose sole intent is to subvert the electoral process and short change the people of Ondo State.

We have just been told that the same team of election ad hoc staff, which masterminded the largely controversial Edo election have been sent to our State to deliver a preconceived result for Mr Rotimi Akeredolu, the APC candidate.

I have to state this here and now, that our people will not accept the method, men and process unleashed on Edo. We reject unequivocally the mission of this team in our State.

The Edo team did not only call off collation by 9pm on election day, party agents, monitors & journalists were ordered out of the centres allowing for final subversion of the will of the electorates. We shall not allow such an ungodly process to be repeated in our dear State.

We must say that the above is not all that INEC and those who want a particular candidate to emerge have done. Efforts have been concerted by INEC & forces within the APC to prevent the emergence of a credible and electable candidate for the PDP.

For the avoidance of doubt, this ungodly process started when INEC, in flagrant disregard of extant laws governing elections removed the name of Eyitayo Jegede on the basis of a Justice Okon Abang order that has since been declared as a fraud by the S’Court.

We wondered why INEC removed the name of a man who emerged from a party primary that was conducted in a free, fair and open environment We wondered why INEC removed the name of a man who emerged from a party primary that was conducted in a free, fair and open environment.

INEC discarded all legal advice not to substitute Eyitayo Jegede by its own chosen consortium of lawyers! Several other hurdles were placed on the ways of the PDP candidate, Eyitayo Jegede to the extent that he did not become a candidate until about 48hrs to election, on the directive of the Court of Appeal

INEC did not release the list of voters register to the PDP until yesterday. This is a clear infraction of its own laws and against its advertised ‘Time Table and Schedule of Activities” for the Ondo election.

INEC refused to publish Eyitayo Jegede’s name for 30 days as stipulated in Section 34 of the Electoral Act 2010. INEC denied Eyitayo Jegede the right to submit his Party agents’ list at least 7 days before the election as stipulated in Section 45 of the Electoral Act 2010 among many others.

As we speak, tags for Ward Collation officers are not available for PDP Ward agents, this is unacceptable.

More than the above, the agents on INEC list are agents submitted by a man, already aptly described by the courts as an impostor, a man who openly showed he is working as a fifth columnist in the Ondo election.

We were expected to run a race with our hands tied behind our back while INEC also goes ahead to foist a “wuruwuru to the answer” result.

Every resident of Ondo State knows we are free & fair people who however abhor impunity & open rape of justice. We shall not take this. In this instance, injustice stares us in the face and we are about being treated like slaves and a conquered people in our own country. INEC is being forced to subvert its processes, and imperil the Ondo election.

The team it sent to Edo, which it is sending to Ondo is peopled by rabid supporters of APC, people that have displayed their brazen disdain for justice and fair play in the Edo election.

If INEC was truely objective, it would have erred on the side of caution & safe Ondo from the polluting influence of this ad hoc team. INEC would have as a matter of fact, shifted this election to present a semblance of a free, fair and open contest.

I am by this asking you the good people of Ondo State to be vigilant and insist on the sanctity of the ballot. We must not allow any alteration of result either at the Ward Collation Centre or anywhere along the line.

We are a proud people, we can make our choices for the good of our State. We need no manipulation of any kind to exercise our inalienable right to choose our leaders.

We also do not want anything to remind us of the inglorious past of violence and bloodshed precipitated by injustice and impunity.