ABEOKUTA – The Ogun state chapter of People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has called for the cancellation of the 2023 governorship election.
The Party’s secretary in Ogun state, Dr. Sunday Solarin in a petition addressed to the National Chairman, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The party said this became imperative following inclusion of 15 polling units results which were earlier canceled by the electoral officer in Sagamu local government area of Ogun State.
THE ENCOUNTER NEWS reports that the, Collation Officer for Sagamu local government, Prof. Eden Gboyega Omosebi had announced that about 15 pollling units results have been recorded cancelled due to violence and snatching of ballot boxes in the affected areas.
Prof. Omosebi, however, said he later got to know that the results of the affected polling units have been recorded by the presiding officers before violence broke out in the area.
This development, therefore, caused uproar among party agents in the INEC collation center at Magbon, Abeokuta.
Meanwhile, the PDP State Agent who read the protest letter of the PDP secretary, Sunkanmi Oyejide argued that, section 24 sub-section 3 of the 2022 Electoral Act stipulated that, where there was electoral violence, malfunction of BVAS such election should be declared inconclusive.
He said, “We write to remind your authority of the above mentioned issue.
“You will recall that the Commission is aware of the level of thuggery planned and orchestrated by the All Progressive Congress to unleash mayhem in some polling units across the state to destabilise innocent voters from freely exercising their voting rights as a result of planned and well executed action.
“We are aware that the principle of margin of lead as established by the Commission in Section 24(3) is in effect, affected by the inability of the population greater than the reflected lead between the assumed winner of the election and the runner-up. Therefore, a re-run in appropriate to address this injustice.
“We, therefore implore the Commission to evoke this principle and declare this election inconclusive.”
Details later…..
