…Calls for Calm, Violence Free Election
The Social Democratic Party (SDP) in Ogun state, has cried out to the public that Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in the state Deprived the party from monitoring the Presidential and National Assembly Elections after unable to provide sufficient Tags for the party, which should be useful for the party agents at the polling units. And the commission trying to repeat it in coming elections.
The party called for calmness and violence free election in the state, urging the citizens and residents to be law abiding before, during and after the poll and advised the commission to do the needful before the gubernatorial and State Assembly elections.
The state chairman of the party, Otunba Yinka Williams made this known to newsmen on Monday during the Press conference held at the party Secretariat, Olorunsogo, Abiola way, Abeokuta the state capital.
He said that, some of the party agents were not allowed to monitor the election exercise because they were not with accredited tags, adding that no provision of tags in some local government which includes Obafemi/Owode, Ifo, Ipokia, Water Side, Sagamu and there was mixed up of another parties’ tags among the ones given to the party by INEC.
He emphasized that, the commission has not responded to the request of the party since it has received a letter that entails the party complains.
He however called on indulgence of the commission to let the party knows if it is permissible to provide tags that would carry the party’s logo for it agents at the polling units on election day.
“We called this press conference on two reasons. Firstly when we received the tag during Presidential and National Assembly elections, we came here in our party Secretariat to distribute tag to our members to go to their Polling unit; we realized that, majority of the tag were missing. INEC did not provide polling unit tags by the number we uploaded on the INEC server.
“Immediately we notice that, we informed them that our polling agent tags were not completed. They told us to write a letter which we did on that same day on 24th of February, 2023. We have the copy of the letter that was received and signed by the INEC.
“On the Election day most of our agents were driven away. What is even more annoying is that, in a local government when we are supposed to have 173 agent tags, only 90 were given to us. On the day of election we realized that, out of 90 tags given to us, only 20 were useful because they bearing the code of other States.
“Even our agents with tag carried SDP, they were still not allowed to monitor the election. Out of the ones they gave us, we saw tag of APC, PDP and other parties. We don’t want to say that, it was a deliberate on the part of INEC to stop our members from monitoring the election.
“Meeting was organized by the commissioner of Police, INEC REC was there and other security agencies. I wanted to talk but they said, there will be a closed door meeting. When we entered the closed door session, the Ogun REC was not where to be found. We could not be able to complain to him.
“We don’t know what to do now because Election is on Saturday. It was stated clearly in the electoral act that the work of the INEC is to produce the tag. Now that they have failed, can we use the party tag? Will it be allowed? What is the solution to it? So that what has happened in the last election will not happen again.
“As a party, we have right to monitor the election. Every party have the right. If majority of our agents cannot monitor what happen on Saturday it is not good. What will happen to SDP in Ogun state when we don’t have polling agents. Can they give us approval to do our own tag? Even the letter we have sent since the eve of the election, we have not gotten anything from them. What that mean is that what happened during presidential election will also happen on gubernatorial election day.
“Secondly, we pray that, the person that will win the election, will be a Person that will take care of us. Person that will focus on the chapter Two of the Constitution which stated ‘The security and welfare of the citizens shall be primary responsibility of the government’ and that government will win the election and will do that for the next four years.
“We call for the calm that election that is coming in our state will be violence free. The process is very clear. If there is any issue, we should go to the court. We are calling on the citizens and residents of Ogun state to be civil because we are civil people. Nobody should be used our allowing our children to be used to manipulate election. We are bringing progress in our country. Electoral act is a progress. Whether it 100% good or not, it is for us to continue to build on the progress.
Other party stakeholders present are Aare Sola Coker, the vice chairman of the party;
Hon. Toheed Ayinde, Secretary and Hon. S.G Osolade, one of the House of Assembly candidates of the party.