The Ekiti State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has warned the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) against inconclusive collation of results and any other way of manipulating Saturday’s governorship election in the state.
In a statement by the State Publicity Secretary, Mr. Jackson Adebayo, in Ado-Ekiti on Thursday, the party also said the people of the state would never accept any attempt to truncate their will or subvert the poll in favour of any candidate or party.
“The Peoples Democratic Party is calling on the Independent National Electoral Commission not to be an agent of any political party or vested interest. We are also raising the alarm now that nobody will accept stoppage of collation of results midway as it was done in Edo State and which some people have dubbed the Edo Formula.
“Since the results will be transmitted electronically from each polling unit, collating such should never be a problem unless somebody is up to some mischief.
” As a party, we are for a free, fair, credible and transparent poll and nobody must subvert the process and people’s votes must count. Allowing people to freely choose their leaders is the main plank on which democracy stands and that is what we are for, ” he said.
Adebayo also added that the people of the state did not pray for a repeat of the ugly incident of 1983 during the Second Republic.
“Those who are old enough knew what happened when the governorship election in the old Ondo State was manipulated to favour an Ekiti man. But because Ekiti people are principled and abhor cheating, they rose up against their own. A word is enough for the wise,” he said.
