- Ismail Oyefeso, the governorship candidate of JMPP in Ogun state, calls on INEC chairman, Mahmood Yakubu, to work hard towards ensuring hitch free general elections
- Oyefeso says the electoral umpire should be ready to insulate itself from political interference, as it prepares for this year’s polls
- The governorship candidate notes that the whole world is always at a standstill when it comes to Nigeria’s elections
Ismail Oyefeso, Justice Must Prevail Party (JMPP)’s governorship candidate in Ogun, on Monday, January 14, called on the chairman, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof Mahmood Yakubu, to work harder toward beating his predecessor’s records.
Oyefeso gave the advice in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja. on Monday, January 14.
NAN reports that former INEC chairman, Prof Attahiru Jega, conducted the 2015 presidential election that brought into power the then opposition party, the APC's candidate, Muhammadu Buhari.
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Oyefeso said that the electoral umpire should be ready to insulate itself from political interference, as it prepares for this year’s polls.
“INEC as a body should be independent of government at all times. Its loyalty should be to the Nigerians and not politicians serving in government.
“Prof. Mahmood has two choices of either sustaining or destroying the reputation which he worked hard to build all his life.
“His predecessor, Prof Jega, left with a legacy. So, the outcome of the elections will deliver his scorecard.
“The whole world is always at a standstill when it comes to Nigeria’s elections,” he said.
Oyefeso said that the elections would be peaceful if all Nigerians collectively support the security agencies.
According to him, 2019 elections will come with its own challenges, but there are capable institutions of government that are working round the clock, to ensure a peaceful exercise.
“For the general elections to be conducted peacefully, it has to be the collective decision of Nigerians to support the security agencies with intelligence that will foil any violence that may want to happen.
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“The youths must have an accord with the police and other security agencies, for us to experience a peaceful election,” he said.
The 34-year-old candidate from Odogbolu local government area is the executive director, Nigeria youth in politics and chief executive officer, exposure multimedia consult.
Meanwhile, sixty-one political parties under the group, Inter-Party Advisory Committee (IPAC), are taking the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to court over the draft guidelines for the 2019 general elections.
The group’s spokesman, Imo Ugochinyere, said the suit will be filed on Monday, January 14, the same day INEC will be making the formal presentation of the election guidelines, saying the document is a controversial one, the Punch reports.
Ugochinyere said the reason for the suit was because some sections of the guidelines were contrary to the provisions of the 1999 constitution, claiming some “obnoxious provisions” were included in the guideline.
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