By Myke Uzendu, Abuja
The PDP National Campaign Council for Ondo Governorship Election has urged President Muhammadu Buhari not to cave in to pressure from governor Rotimi Akeredolu and the All Progressives Congress (APC) yo use ‘federal might’ to compromise the integrity of the upcoming Ondo governorship election.
The party in a press conference on Sunday by Kola Ologbondiyan,
Chairman, Publicity Sub-Committee, Ondo state governorship campaign council said that after a review of all prospects relating to the October 10 election, the party’s candidate, Eyitayo Jegede, enjoys the greater support of the overwhelming majority of Ondo people and is indisputably in good stead for victory on Saturday.
He said that the victory of the PDP is assured despite the recourse to violence, threats, hate comments as well as desperation by the APC and its candidate, Governor Rotimi Akeredolu, who according to the party is planning to manipulate government institutions to work against the people and rig the election for them.
“Our campaign had earlier alerted of desperate moves by the APC to drag in certain officials of the Buhari Presidency as earlier boasted by Governor Akeredolu’s self-confessed thug, Isaac Kekemeke, who exposed that Governor Akeredolu plots to use violence and ‘federal might’ to muscle the election against the wishes and aspirations of the people of Ondo state.
“Such boasts coupled with Governor Akeredolu’s thoughtless threats and declaring Ondo citizens as his “enemies for life” for reaching a consensus to replace him with Eyitayo Jegede, had if anything, and spurred the people to vote him and his self-serving administration out of office.
Ologbondiyan stressed that Governor Akeredolu wasted the chance given to him and should have nobody but himself to blame for the electoral loss that would befall him on Saturday. .
“Our campaign therefore calls on President Muhammadu Buhari not to succumb to pressure by a failed Governor Akeredolu and the APC to renege in his resolve not to interfere in elections, as amply witnessed in the September 19 Edo election.
“We invite Mr. President to note the applauses and commendations coming to him from all parts of our nation and the global community over the non-interference of his Presidency in the conduct of a free, fair and credible election in Edo state, a development that allowed the will of the people to prevail.
“Our campaign therefore urges President Buhari to adopt the same Edo stance to ensure a free, fair and credible election in Ondo, without regard to partisan consideration, so that he can leave a legacy of electoral uprightness for which posterity and history can be kind to him” PDP said.
It called on President Buhari to direct the Police and the Department of State Services (DSS) to clean the ground for a peaceful election
