Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, has called on the chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Yakubu Mahmood, to immediately remove the Resident Electoral Commissioner in Ondo State, Mrs. Oluwatoyin Babalola.
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Makinde made the call at the campaign rally of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Akure, Ondo State, on Tuesday, where he raised concerns that the Ondo State REC is from Ondo State.

Makinde said, “This message is for the INEC national chairman, Prof. Yakubu Mahmood; you must remove the Resident Electoral Commissioner in Ondo State, Mrs. Oluwatoyin Babalola; she is from Ondo State. What they did in Edo State, they cannot do in Ondo State.

“We will protest until she is removed. Bring another REC that will be fair and that will allow a level playing field. We, as PDP, are not afraid of a fair contest. Remove her; otherwise, we will continue to protest.”
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Makinde raised concerns about Mrs. Babalola’s alleged alliance with some leaders of the APC in Ondo State, which could compromise the integrity of the electoral process.

The PDP also urged INEC to distance itself from any actions that could undermine democracy.

Also, the Southwest PDP has expressed its support for Makinde’s call to remove the Ondo State REC immediately.

According to the Southwest PDP, the call is to ensure the credibility of the state’s upcoming November governorship election.
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PDP chieftain in Southwest Sanya Atofarati emphasised the importance of vigilance among the people of Ondo State to protect their mandate.

The party believes that Mrs. Babalola’s ties to the ruling APC make her unfit to oversee the upcoming election.

He said the PDP is confident that the people of Ondo State are determined to vote for the PDP candidate, Alfred Agboola, in the November election, warning that any attempts to manipulate the election through Mrs. Babalola or other APC leaders will be met with strong resistance.
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Atofarati said, “The Southwest PDP remains resolute in their support for the redeployment call of Mrs. Toyin Babalola, who is currently the INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner in Ondo State because she cannot be trusted to superintend the November governorship election due to her conspicuous ties with the ruling APC in the state.

“The people of Ondo State, especially the downtrodden, are particularly concerned about the upcoming election, and INEC has the responsibility to ensure transparency and accountability in the electoral processes. The people will not tolerate any act of manipulation by a known ally of the State Governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, and other APC leaders.

“It is evident now that the people of Ondo State have resolved to vote for the PDP candidate, His Excellency, Agboola Ajayi, in the November election, and any attempt to impose a known manipulator through INEC will be strongly resisted.”
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The PDP also alleged that Mrs. Babalola was the immediate past director of INEC Legal Services in Abuja familiar to the National Secretariat of the Party.

INEC on Tuesday via a post in its X account responded to Makinde’s comments, saying the Ondo State REC is not from Ondo State.

However, the commission did not state her state of origin.

“For the avoidance of doubt, Mrs. Babalola is not from Ondo State, in line with the Commission’s policy not to deploy a REC to his or her state of origin,” INEC said.
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