Hundreds of people believed to be members of Peoples Democratic Party
(PDP), Accord Party, Labour Party (LP) and Social Democratic Party
(SDP) yesterday staged a peaceful protest to the headquarters of the
Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Oyo State and
rejected the posting of Ambassador Rufus Akeju as the new Resident
Electoral Commissioner (REC) for the state. The INEC had announced the
redeployment of the 37 RECs in the 36 states of the federation and Abuja
in a letter marked INEC/SEC/402/VOLIII/312 and directed all RECs to
conclude all handing and taking over formalities by tomorrow.
While Akeju was posted from Osun to Oyo State, the outgoing REC in Oyo State, Alhaji Nasir Ayilara, was posted to Niger State.
The inscriptions on some of the placards carried by the protesters included: “Akeju must go, Don’t bring back the old wild wild west, Oyo rejects Akeju, Akeju is not fit to conduct election in Nigeria, Oyo wants credible elections, Akeju is an APC man, We reject him, as well as Akeju will destroy Oyo election.”
Former member, House of Representatives, Mr. Moruf Akinwande, who represented Oyo Federal Constituency, alleged that a Federal High Court sitting in Osogbo had ruled that Akeju was partisan; adding that the Chairman of INEC, Prof. Attahiru Jega, should transfer him to the national headquarters of the commission in Abuja instead of Oyo State.
Also, Alhaji Rasheed Rufai, who introduced himself as a member of the Accord Party in Ibadan North-East, Mrs Mojisola Soyooye, from Labour Party, Mr. Adisa Jelili from the SDP in Oluyole Local Government Area, Mr. Adeniran Adekola from the Youth for Better Society, market leader in Ajibode in Akinyele Local Government Area and Mrs Funke Ale from LP also told newsmen that they wanted another person as REC.
In a telephone interview with Daily Sun yesterday, the outgoing REC in Osun State, Akeju, said the protesters had right to demonstrate but they could not stop him from resuming as new REC in the state. He urged them to go to court to press their demands further, adding: “They can demonstrate. That is their right. They have no right to say I cannot resume my work. It is as simple as that.”
Fielding questions on the allegation that he’s a card-carrying member of APC, he said: “They should go to court and prove it. They have been saying that all over. It is the same people.”
Responding to the allegation by the protesters that a court of law had ruled that he could not conduct election in any state in connection with August 9, 2014 governorship poll in Osun State, Akeju said: “That is not true.”
The outgoing REC in Oyo State, Alhaji Ayilara, who described deployment of RECs as a normal administrative routine in the commission, however, appealed to the people of the state not to think that the incoming REC would be partial or do anything that would undermine the process.
While Akeju was posted from Osun to Oyo State, the outgoing REC in Oyo State, Alhaji Nasir Ayilara, was posted to Niger State.
The inscriptions on some of the placards carried by the protesters included: “Akeju must go, Don’t bring back the old wild wild west, Oyo rejects Akeju, Akeju is not fit to conduct election in Nigeria, Oyo wants credible elections, Akeju is an APC man, We reject him, as well as Akeju will destroy Oyo election.”
Former member, House of Representatives, Mr. Moruf Akinwande, who represented Oyo Federal Constituency, alleged that a Federal High Court sitting in Osogbo had ruled that Akeju was partisan; adding that the Chairman of INEC, Prof. Attahiru Jega, should transfer him to the national headquarters of the commission in Abuja instead of Oyo State.
Also, Alhaji Rasheed Rufai, who introduced himself as a member of the Accord Party in Ibadan North-East, Mrs Mojisola Soyooye, from Labour Party, Mr. Adisa Jelili from the SDP in Oluyole Local Government Area, Mr. Adeniran Adekola from the Youth for Better Society, market leader in Ajibode in Akinyele Local Government Area and Mrs Funke Ale from LP also told newsmen that they wanted another person as REC.
In a telephone interview with Daily Sun yesterday, the outgoing REC in Osun State, Akeju, said the protesters had right to demonstrate but they could not stop him from resuming as new REC in the state. He urged them to go to court to press their demands further, adding: “They can demonstrate. That is their right. They have no right to say I cannot resume my work. It is as simple as that.”
Fielding questions on the allegation that he’s a card-carrying member of APC, he said: “They should go to court and prove it. They have been saying that all over. It is the same people.”
Responding to the allegation by the protesters that a court of law had ruled that he could not conduct election in any state in connection with August 9, 2014 governorship poll in Osun State, Akeju said: “That is not true.”
The outgoing REC in Oyo State, Alhaji Ayilara, who described deployment of RECs as a normal administrative routine in the commission, however, appealed to the people of the state not to think that the incoming REC would be partial or do anything that would undermine the process.