Ondo Polls: Resist Any Attempt to Rig, Mimiko Tells Citizens

The Governor of Ondo State, Oluse­gun Mimiko, yes­terday alleged that the Independent Electoral Commission (INEC) and the All Progressive Con­gress (APC), had planned to rig today’s gubernato­rial election in the state.
Mimiko, who spoke at a press conference at the Dome in Akure, the state capital, insisted that INEC had perfected plans to “deliver ill-fated results for the APC can­didate.”
Earlier, the spokes­person of his Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Banji Okunomo, claimed that PDP had uncovered an arrangement by the INEC to use “the same team of ad-hoc staff which masterminded the controversial Edo elec­tion” to rig the election in the state.

“I have to say this here and now that our people will not accept the rigging of the process unleashed on Edo. We reject un­equivocally the mission of this team on our state,” said Governor Mimiko.
“In Edo State, they did not only call off collation (early), party agents, ob­servers and journalists were ordered out of the collation centres allow­ing for final subversion of the will of the electorate. We shall not allow such ungodly process to be repeated in our state,” he insisted.
He also claimed that the PDP had not been given the opportunity to submit the names of its party agents, adding that “INEC did not release the list on the voters register to PDP until yesterday in clear infraction of its own laws.
“In a free and fair con­test, INEC is supposed to have released the elec­toral register so that the candidate should actu­ally know and the party should properly organ­ise. Under the electoral act and INEC guideline a nominated candidate should have his name published at least 30 days to the election.
“INEC denied Eyitayo Jegede to submit the names of his party agent which according to Sec­tion 35 of the Electoral Act 2010, is supposed to submit it at least 7 days before the election.
“Two days to the elec­tion, Eyitayo Jegede’s supporters are not sure of those parading them­selves as agents of the party. In fact, we got the information yesterday that some so-called party agents of the PDP held a meeting in Akoko and agreed to work with the APC.
He, however, called on the people of the state to remain peaceful but to be firm in resisting any at­tempt at rigging the elec­tion at the polling unit or the collation centres.