Ondo State Governor and the Candidate of All Progressives Congress in the forthcoming gubernatorial election, Mr. Oluwaroti Akeredolu, SAN, has hit hard on his Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State over the appointment of Returning Officer for the coming Saturday election.
Akeredolu, who spoke through the spokesperson of his campaign council, Mr. Richard Olatunde described Makinde as a disgrace to public decency and the office he is currently holding.
OYOMIND earlier reported that Governor Makinde who is the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) Campaign Chairman in Ondo State in a press release rejected the INEC’s appointment of Prof. Eyitope Ogunbodede, the Vice Chancellor of Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife as the Returning Officer for the coming governorship election.
According to Akeredolu, INEC had not appointed any Returning officer as at the time of the false alarm and that no indigene of Ondo state can ever be made a returning officer.
The statement reads thus:
“We find as unfortunate, the statement credited to the Governor of Oyo State and Chairman of the PDP National Campaign Council for the Governorship election in Ondo State, Seyi Makinde, rejecting the Vice-Chancellor of the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Professor Eyitope Ogunbodede, as the Chief Returning Officer for Saturday’s Governorship election in Ondo State.
“While it is forgivable for the PDP in Ondo State to continue to raise false alarm and make spurious allegations over the election, it is inexcusable for a Governor like Seyi Makinde to market ignorance in such a shameful manner. This ridicules, in no small measure, the exalted office of Governor.
“As at the time he raised the objection, INEC had not even announced the appointment of a Retuning Officer for this Saturday’s election. We cannot but wonder how and where Governor Makinde in particular, got the information.
“Governor Makinde, as a member of the Nigerian council of State, ought to know that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) does not, and shall never appoint a Returning Officer who is an indigene to administer elections. No indigene of Ondo State can ever be made a Returning Officer.
“By this pedestrian dance, Governor Makinde has shown himself to be a disgrace to public decency and the office he is holding.
“For us in the All Progressive Congress (APC) and the Akeredolu/Aiyedatiwa Campaign Organisation, we believe in fairness and the credibility. Our trust in INEC on a free, fair and credible election on Saturday remains undoubted.
“Therefore, we urge the people of the state to disregard the ignorance exhibited by the PDP and Governor Seyi Makinde while getting set to participate in the election on Saturday” the statement, concluded.
