• Don’t vote against your choice, PDP tells voters
• IFA advocates accessibility of PWDs to polling units
• Six hospitalised as thugs attack PDP supporters
• Police Commissioner orders investigation
Lagos State Governor and Chairman, All Progressives Congress (APC) National Campaign Council for Ondo State Governorship Election, Babajide Sanwo-Olu; his Ogun State counterpart, Dapo Abiodun and Ekiti State Governor, Abiodun Oyebanji, yesterday, stormed Akure, Ondo State capital, to solicit support for the APC and its candidate, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, ahead of Saturday gubernatorial election.
Sanwo-Olu, who is also the Chairman, South West Governors’ Forum, arrived at the Akure Airport at 11:44 a.m. along with Abiodun. They were received by supporters and members of the party.
The Vice President, who represented President Bola Tinubu, would lead the mega rally to drum up support for Aiyedatiwa. Meanwhile, as at the time of filing this report, the Director-General, @OfficialPDPNig Campaign Council, Ondo, Eddy Olafeso, disclosed that Governor Seyi Makinde (Oyo) and his Osun counterpart, Ademola Adeleke, who is also the chairman, PDP National Campaign Council for Ondo State election, are yet to arrive Ondo but he confirmed that they and other PDP national stalwarts would arrive to galvanise support for the party’s candidate, Agboola Ajayi.
HOWEVER, a non-governmental organisation, Inclusive Friends (IFA), has urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to ensure inclusivity of persons with disabilities (PWDs) during the election.
The group, while calling for strict adherence to the Electoral Act to foster an accessible and inclusive election process, advised that flat and barrier-free venues should be provided on Election Day.
According to the organisation during a media briefing, voting priority should be implemented for PWDs upon their arrival at polling units, as well as ballot boxes should be positioned to allow them to cast their votes independently.
Programme Director of the association, Molly Joshua, said: “The Inclusive Friends Association (IFA), a non-partisan, not-for-profit organisation led by persons with disabilities and women, advocates for the inclusion and active participation of Nigeria’s over 35 million persons with disabilities in civic and democratic processes.”
In another development, no fewer than six supporters of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have been hospitalised in Idanre, headquarters of Idanre Local Council, following an alleged attack by political thugs.
The purported attack on the PDP members is coming a few days to the election. Director of Media and Publicity of the PDP in the state, Adeyemi Raymond Fasoranti, who spoke on the incident, identified one of the victims as Otunba Olowoniyi Akinleminu.
Meanwhile, the Commissioner of Police in Ondo State, Oladipo Abayomi, has directed the State Criminal Investigations Department (SCID) to launch a full-scale investigation into the incident.
