The lnter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC) has urged Ondo State electorate to come out en-masse and vote for candidates of their choice in the Saturday 10th October 2020, governorship poll in the state.
IPAC in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Ambassador Agbo Major said the good people of Ondo State, like their Edo State compatriots, should take their destiny in their hands and ensure they vote, protect their votes and electoral materials to prevent rigging, ballot stuffing and snatching, manipulation of results and vote-buying that characterised previous elections in the state.
IPAC however, warned against political rascality and violence as the Ondo electorate go to exercise their franchise. The election is a civic duty, not war.
Accordingly, the Council urged security agencies to sit up and be awake to their constitutional mandates to protect lives and property and deal severely with troublemakers who want to subvert the collective will of the people in choosing their next governor.
“The unprecedented violence that preceded this Saturday’s election is a sad commentary in the nation’s political process.
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“IPAC demands the arrest and prosecution of all those involved in campaign violence to serve as a deterrent to others.
Treating electoral violence with a kid’s glove is the bane of our emerging democracy, Nigeria is a nation governed by laws not impunity as obtainable in a banana republic.
“There is no substitute to a peaceful, credible and acceptable governorship election in Ondo State”, the statement noted.
Furthermore, IPAC said “as the electoral umpire, INEC’s neutrality and competence in conducting an election that meets international standard cannot be overemphasised.
The Commission will be the cynosure of all eyes around the world and should replicate its laudable performance in Edo State on September 19, 2020.
This will strengthen Nigerians’ confidence in the electoral process and boost their interest in participating in future elections when they know that their votes will be counted and count in the final result declared by INEC.
“IPAC, as the umbrella body of the current 18 registered political parties will sensitize and mobilize voters for the gubernatorial election on Thursday 8th October and will effectively monitor the poll as a major stakeholder which fields candidates for the election”, the statement added.
