•Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State
Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State has called on the chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Yakubu Mahmood, to immediately remove the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in Ondo State, Mrs. Oluwatoyin Babalola.
Governor Makinde made the call at the campaign rally of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Akure, Ondo State, yesterday, where he raised concerns that the Ondo REC is from Ondo State, reports Daily Trust.
Makinde said, “This message is for the INEC national chairman, Prof. Yakubu Mahmood; you must remove the Resident Electoral Commissioner in Ondo State, Mrs. Oluwatoyin Babalola; she is from Ondo State. What they did in Edo State, they cannot do in Ondo State.
“We will protest until she is removed. Bring another REC that will be fair and that will allow a level playing field. We, as PDP, are not
afraid of a fair contest. Remove her; otherwise, we will continue to protest.”
The governor raised concerns about Mrs. Babalola’s alleged alliance with some leaders of the APC in Ondo State, which could compromise the integrity of the electoral process.
Also, the Southwest PDP has expressed its support for Governor Makinde’s call for the immediate removal of the Ondo State REC.
According to the Southwest PDP, the call is to ensure the credibility of the upcoming November governorship election in the state.
In a statement by a chieftain of the Party in the region, Sanya Atofarati, the PDP emphasised the importance of vigilance among the
people of Ondo State to protect their mandate.
The party believes that Mrs. Babalola’s ties to the ruling APC make her unfit to oversee the upcoming election.
He said the PDP is confident that the people of Ondo State are determined to vote for the PDP candidate, Alfred Agboola, in the November election, warning that any attempts to manipulate the election through Mrs. Babalola or other APC leaders will be met with strong resistance.
Atofarati said, “The Southwest PDP remains resolute in their support for the redeployment call of Mrs. Toyin Babalola, who is currently the INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner in Ondo State, because she cannot be trusted to superintend the November governorship election due to her conspicuous ties with the ruling APC in the state.
“The people of Ondo State, especially the downtrodden, are particularly concerned about the upcoming election, and INEC has the
responsibility to ensure transparency and accountability in the electoral processes. The people will not tolerate any act of manipulation by a known ally of the State Governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, and other APC leaders.
“It is evident now that the people of Ondo State have resolved to vote for the PDP candidate, His Excellency, Agboola Ajayi, in the November election, and any attempt to impose a known manipulator through INEC will be strongly resisted.”
The PDP also alleged that Mrs. Babalola was the immediate past director of INEC Legal Services in Abuja and she is very familiar to our National Secretariat of the party.
The party also claimed Mrs. Babalola was born in the Igbara Odo area; now Igbara Odo is in Ekiti South West of Old Ondo State. That after the creation of Ekiti State in 1996, that area was now demarcated into Ekiti State. However, throughout her life, the party alleges that she grew up in Ondo State.
“So let no one fool us; either she claims Ekiti State now or not; she was born, bred, and grew up in Ondo State.
“It will be honourable for the INEC chairman to at least be honourable for once and do the right thing. The main question is: Must it be Mrs. Babalola? In a country of over 200 million talented individuals, why is INEC finding it difficult to replace her?” the party said.
Meanwhile, INEC, via a post yesterday on X, responded to Makinde’s comments, saying the Ondo State REC is not from Ondo State.
However, the commission did not state her state of origin.
“For the avoidance of doubt, Mrs. Babalola is not from Ondo State, in line with the Commission’s policy not to deploy a REC to his or her
state of origin,” the commission stated.
