Protest looms as Ayoka Adebayo is deployed as INEC's REC to Ondo State
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- Category: Politics
- Published on Monday, 26 July 2010 08:08
- Written by Next
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Pro-democracy activists in Ondo State have concluded plans to protest the deployment of Ayoka Adebayo as Resident Electoral Commissioner [REC] in the state. Over the weekend, no fewer than five pro-democracy groups indicated their interests in participating in the rally which conveners said will protest the posting of the official to the state.
Controversy trailed the 75-year-old Adebayo's last assignment, as electoral commissioner in Ekiti State, when she disappeared for days, at the time she was expected to announce the result of the governorship election. She later appeared in Abuja to declare the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Segun Oni, as winner.
The Labour Party in the state has also called on the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Attaihru Jega to immediately redeploy Mrs Adebayo from the state. It described her posting as part of the grand plan of the PDP to capture Ondo and Lagos States, as promised by former president, Olusegun Obasanjo. In a statement issued by the party's director of publicity, Seyi James, the party urged the INEC boss to remove Mrs. Adebayo without further delay. "Her continuous stay will endanger the flourishing democracy in the state and also make a mockery of President Goodluck Jonathan's resolve to have credible election in Nigeria," he said, adding "Mrs. Adebayo's public service records suggest that she cannot be trusted with sensitive assignments like election matters".
Strategy to rig
A human rights activist, Morakinyo Ogele described the posting of Mrs Adebayo to the state as another stratagem designed to rig 2010 elections there.
"It is equally on record that Mrs Ayoka is a member of PDP and all the time working for the party, apart from her connection with Obasanjo. She has been under proper control of Obasanjo even before she was appointed as Electoral Commissioner. She is not fit and proper to handle any election in this country again, vide her antecedent in Ekiti State as REC," Mr Ogele said.
"I hereby put the Chairman of INEC on notice that Mrs Ayoka will contaminate his acknowledged integrity if left to conduct any election under him. Jega should within 7 days remove her from Ondo State to allow peaceful, fair and free election in the state. The last election she conducted in Ekiti State saw scores of innocent indigenes killed, wounded and maimed whereby hijacking of ballot boxes, alteration, killing, burning were the order of the election."
