Yusuf Oketola
THE National Chairman of Inter Party Advisory Council (IPAC), Engr. Yabagi Yusuf Sani, has warned political parties and electorate in the State of Osun, against inducement and intimidation of voters at tomorrow’s governorship election.
Sani gave the warning during a Sensitisation Forum on Peaceful Conduct of 2022 governorship election in the state held in Osogbo, on Wednesday.
He called on the Independent National Electoral Commission to be fair and avoid compromise on its standard at the poll, just as he asked voters to resist the temptation of selling their votes in any form.
The Chairman said: “All hands must be on deck to ensure that, the 16th of July, 2022 governorship election in Osun State is carried out in an atmosphere of peace and tranquility without the ugly incidents of all forms of violence that include, molestation, intimidation and harassment of people of opposition political parties, voters or electoral officials.
“The political party leaders and candidates in the election must resist the temptation, out of desperation, to resort to the deployment of thugs or material and financial inducement of security agents and INEC officials to compromise any stage in the voting process.
“We are also very stridently appealing to the security agencies and their operatives engaged to provide security during the election to embark on their assignment with maximum professional and ethical standards.
“Very pertinently, officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), must give hope to the people of Osun, the rest of the nation and the world at large, that, the era of daylight robbery of the people’s right to choose their representatives is over in Nigeria.
“To us in IPAC, Osun 2022 is another litmus test to INEC after similar election last month on the 18th of June, 2022 in Ekiti on the veracity and integrity of the otherwise, commendable administrative reforms and technological innovations introduced recently by the commission with the lofty goals of delivering credible and transparently free and fair elections.
“There is no gainsaying the fact that, INEC cannot afford and must not, fail in the attainment of the noble goals.
“To the people of Osun State, the message from IPAC, is that, they must resist all attempts to deceive, intimidate or induce them into compromising their fundamental, inalienable right to freely elect the political leaders of their choice.
“In other words, for whatever reasons, the electorate in the 16th July, 2022 governorship election must be guided by their conscience, their obligations to the advancement of their welfare, their security, the happiness and prosperity of the future generations
“Twenty-three years down the line, Nigeria has come a long way and waxing very strongly on the path of democracy. It is the historic responsibility of the generation of the country today, to strive to keep the torch of democracy aloft and burning.
“As I have severally pointed out at various fora: humanity has yet to create a better approach to a sustainable and genuine democracy more than the right of citizens to freely elect their leaders through the ballot box.
“This is because, a compromised, twisted and corrupted electoral system is tantamount to any other system but democracy. In Osun state on the 16th of July, 2022, we should all endeavour to prove to the rest of the world that Nigeria has come of age as a democratic nation”.
