The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Professor Attahiru Jega has been charged to ensure neutrality in the choice of all categories of electoral officers especially returning officers to be engaged for the forthcoming elections in order to make the elections credible and acceptable to all.<\/p>\n
The Director, Media and Publicity for Oyo State PDP Presidential Campaign Organization, Alhaji Kehinde Olaosebikan gave the charge in Ibadan today while reacting to allegation of outright bias leveled against the electoral commission by a group of academics in tertiary institutions in Oyo State known as \u2018Oyo Academics Rise For Truth\u2019 who were on a visit to the Campaign\u00a0\u00a0office in Adamasingba to register their discontentment over the prejudice in the appointment of returning officers in the state in favor of the\u00a0\u00a0APC.<\/p>\n
The PDP campaign spokes man said that any act of nepotism, favoritism, or bias of any such in the appointment of electoral officers would be stoutly resisted by the people of Oyo State whom he said were already watching and on red alert for such act.<\/p>\n
Therefore, Alhaji Olaosebikan said the INEC boss must thoroughly investigate and do all the necessary checks on all persons the commission intends to use for the highly sensitive work for the purposes of detachment and fairness.<\/p>\n
The group led by Dr. Kolawole Olumuyiwa had alleged that the commission was exhibiting bias in the choice of returning officers in the state as it claimed that the ongoing recruitment exercise by INEC was in favor of the All Progressives Congress as all the persons shortlisted so far as state and local government returning officers in Oyo State were known APC apologists.<\/p>\n
It further disclosed that the commission did a similar thing in 2011 when it appointed Professor Femi Bamiro \u201ca known rabid supporter of APC as the returning officer for the state in accordance with the dictate of the then candidate of Action Congress of Nigeria, Senator Abiola Ajimobi who later compensated the Professor with an appointment in his government\u201d.<\/p>\n
According to the academics, \u201cthe commission has also commenced another round of engaging chronic APC academics for the election exercise. We can say authoritatively that all the names being considered for returning officers are APC apologists. We have observed this and that is why we have come to you to use your good offices in alerting the President to call the INEC boss to order.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt happened in 2011 when they appointed Professor Bamiro and co as returning officer and local government officers. We don\u2019t want a repeat of this as it is not good for the academics and the nation at large. On our own, as members of the academic community, we have already placed our people on\u00a0\u00a0alert because we would not tolerate any act that would polarize and destroy the credibility of the academic community for the sake of personal gains by privileged individuals.<\/p>\n
Olaosebikan who was joined by the Director of Youth Directorate for the campaign organization , Hon. Mike Okunlade at the meeting assured them that the\u00a0\u00a0organization would ensure that their message got to all the relevant authorities and that the Presidential campaign for Oyo State too would also do all within its power to see that INEC and all other agencies concerned with the elections\u00a0\u00a0do the right things with full compliance to all their rules of engagements.<\/p>\n
He promised that President Goodluck Jonathan would continue to accord priority attention to education by ensuring that the welfare of both the academic and non academic staff of our tertiary institutions is adequately taking care of as well as prompt provision of adequate modern equipment and facilities in all\u00a0\u00a0tertiary institutions in the country<\/p>\n
He therefore urged\u00a0\u00a0all the academic and non academic staff of all\u00a0\u00a0tertiary institutions in Oyo State and all education loving Nigerians to cast their votes for Dr. Goodluck Ebele\u00a0\u00a0Jonathan in the March 28 election and not for the APC candidate whose secondary education certificate was questionable.<\/p>\n
Kehinde Olaosebikan<\/p>\n
Director, Media and Publicity<\/p>\n
Oyo State PDP Presidential Campaign Organization<\/p>\n
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