The PDP National Campaign for Ondo Governorship Election has accused the governor of Ondo State and candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Rotimi Akeredolu, of piling pressure on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and security agencies to rig the October 10, 2020 election for him.
It has consequently, advised him to engage in an issue-based campaign for the October 10 poll.
A statement by Kola Ologbondiyan, Chairman, Publicity Sub-Committee of the campaign in Abuja on Saturday counselled Akeredolu to “accept the reality of his self-inflicted woes of non-performance or withdraw from the race if he cannot stand the shame of facing the Ondo electorates with his empty scorecard for which a crushing defeat awaits him at the poll.”
The PDP said it had been made aware of how the APC and agents of the governor are putting pressure on INEC and security hierarchy having discovered that they cannot win any election without recourse to institutional rigging and violence.
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The statement added: “This pathetic and criminal adventure by the sinking APC further confirms that their campaign had since collapsed and can no longer command any genuine followership that would translate into votes at the poll.
“It is clear, and manifestly so, that Governor Akeredolu and his self-serving government have abysmally failed the people of Ondo State and that is why he is now running from pillar to post seeking for how institutions of government can be manipulated to favour him in the election.
“Governor Akeredolu cannot point to any landmark development project his self-serving government has provided for the people of Ondo State in his almost four years as governor.
“He has failed in all the promises he made to the people of Ondo State; instituted a highly corrupt, incompetent, insensitive and unreliable system that has destroyed the legacies bequeathed by past leaders and left the people poor, despondent and in dire need of new and purposeful leadership; which they have now found in Eyitayo Jegede.
“In fact, it is clear to Governor Akeredolu that our candidate, Eyitayo Jegede, will defeat him fair and square even in his Owo Local Government and that is why Aketi has become distraught ahead of the election.
“Governor Akeredolu and his diminished APC should come to terms with the fact that electoral manipulations and violence will not help them as the people have since withdrawn from them and are only waiting for election day to replace him with their new choice leader, Eyitayo Jegede SAN, on the platform of the PDP.”
The party pointed out that its candidate, Eyitayo Jegede, is already in league with the people across the length and breadth of Ondo State in their collective quest to liberate themselves from the stranglehold of the self-serving Akeredolu administration.
The PDP, therefore, cautioned INEC and security agencies not to allow the APC, “which is not ready for the election in Ondo, to rubbish the credibility it had achieved in the September 19 Edo governorship election.”