Makarfi canvasses free, fair election

Says INEC, Security Agents Must Be Unbiased Umpire
As the Ondo State Governorship election holds today, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) caretaker committee chairman, Senator Ahmed Mohammed Makarfi has urged officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and security agents to provide a level playing field for all the candidates in the gubernatorial election devoid of favouritism, saying that is the only path to deepen the nation’s democracy.

Makarfi, who spoke in Kaduna yesterday, said that already the PDP has written to INEC to ensure that the party’s candidate is allowed to submit a fresh list of party agents after the Appeal Court judgment which cleared
Eyitayo Jegede (SAN) to contest the polls.

According to the party chairman, the earlier list of party agents for the governorship polls was submitted by Jimoh Ibrahim, pointing out that unless INEC immediately dropped that list and accepted a substituted one, chances for a free and fair election may be deemed.

However, he said: “Victory comes from God. But, again our candidate is an individual, and the PDP is a household name in Ondo State. I have been there and campaigning for the PDP and we are confident that if a free and fair election takes place our candidate will emerge victorious.

“You see, why we wanted a shift in this election was not because we want our candidate to have time to campaign per say. There are certain things parties were expected to do before elections. One of the fundamental one is submission of agents I think which must be done 21 days before election”.

Makarfi argued: “ The list of agents submitted to them is not by us. But, it is our candidate that is contesting elections. And common sense should tell anybody that the agents could be compromised.

“So, it is for INEC to consider our request that if election has to go ahead the party and our candidate should be allowed to submit fresh list of party agents based on the recent judgment by the appellate court. It is just fair that they allow that. If that is done we will take our faith in our own hands and trust in God and the people of Ondo State to make a wise choice”.

The PDP boss further stressed: “The court judgment was clear that our candidate should contest the election. And meanwhile, the list of agents hitherto was not submitted by us. And natural justice demands that we
submit the list of agents to INEC.

“And based on that we wrote to INEC that if whatever reason the election has to go ahead, the minimum expected from them is to allow for the substitution of the list of agents so that we would be sure that the interest of the party and our candidate standing for the election is protected”.

“The information I have before me as the caretaker committee chairman of the PDP is that Jegede is a leading candidate that would be going into the election on Saturday. All that we call upon is for INEC to be an unbiased umpire and the security agents to be unbiased security agents of the country and not agents of any particular party or candidate”.