The New Nigeria Peoples Party, NNPP, has said that the Ondo people will elect a credible candidate on November 16 and protect their votes because Ondo is not Lagos or Edo.
NNPP National Chairman, Ajuji Ahmed, said this in Akure, yesterday, during the party’s campaign flag-off for its governorship candidate, Olugbenga Edema, reports Vanguard.
Ahmed, who alleged that the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, was sponsoring the crisis in some of the major opposition political parties in the country to retain power in the 2027 general election, said the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP and the NNPP are mulling an alliance to stop the APC in 2027.
Ahmed said that the APC had been interfering in the internal affairs of the opposition parties by causing division among members to weaken their structures and take control.
To stop the APC, Ahmed said leaders of opposition parties are planning to hold a ‘merger talk’ to dislodge the ruling party ahead of the general elections.
His words: “The APC is doing everything it can in order to win the 2027 general election. Certainly, there is evidence everywhere that they are interfering in other parties but it is left to the other political parties to maintain their integrity and ensure they remain one and viable opposition to the APC before and after the 2027 election.”
Ahmed said that the ruling APC should be prepared to hand over power after President Bola Tinubu’s government, stressing that the NNPP had been in collaboration with opposition parties to form alliance ahead of the 2027 polls.
“So, we have our doors open in such a way that if there is going to be a coalition of all the political parties to go into the election, we are ready for that,” he said.
NNPP ready to win Ondo
Noting that the party is ready to win Ondo, Ahmed asked the people to troop out en-masse and vote Edema, the candidate of the party in the November election.
He described Edema as a party loyalist whose programmes and policies for the people of the state would put an end to the economic crisis and current hardship caused by the government of the APC.
Edema tasks INEC on credible poll
Also speaking, Edema urged the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to ensure it is neutral by giving a level-playing ground to all the political parties in the upcoming election.
Edema said that the people of the state are ready to stand by their votes and ensure they count.
He noted that the party is ready to spring surprise in the Ondo election, and warned the electoral body not to repeat the alleged ‘electoral fraud’ in Edo State.
“The last one was the fraud that happened in Edo State. How they went to all the collation centres and manipulated the results of the election that were sent from the polling units was worrisome.
“They took the result from collation centres to INEC headquarters, which is contrary to the Electoral Act that states that you should do your counting at the venue where the election was conducted.
Ondo is not Edo or Lagos
“Therefore, we are saying Ondo State is not Edo State. Ondo is not Lagos State. The people of Ondo are one of the most enlightened in the whole country, and we are capable of protecting our votes, and we will protect them. We do not fear them. We will dare them,” he said.
Speaking on his programmes for Ondo State, Edema said they include good healthcare, food security, better roads, youth empowerment, infrastructure, industrialization, investment and free education from primary to tertiary, if elected.
