The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has responded to Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde regarding his comments about the deployment of Toyin Babalola as the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) for Ondo State.
Makinde had claimed that Babalola is from Ondo and should therefore not be assigned to oversee the upcoming governorship election in the Ondo State.
The off-cycle governorship election in Ondo is set for November 16, 2024. On Tuesday, INEC addressed Makinde’s remarks, made during a campaign event in Akure, where he called for Babalola’s removal, asserting that she originates from Ondo.
INEC clarified that Babalola is not from Ondo State and emphasized its policy of not deploying a REC to their home state. “For the avoidance of doubt, Mrs. Babalola is not from Ondo State, in line with the Commission’s policy,” INEC stated.
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The commission also recalled a similar situation from 2020 when Makinde accused a senior INEC official of collaborating with a university vice-chancellor to manipulate election results in Ondo. INEC firmly rejected that allegation, calling it false.
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“In 2020, ahead of the last governorship election, he claimed a senior official of the Commission was colluding with the Vice-Chancellor of a federal university to undermine the election. This allegation was untrue,” INEC explained.
Our attention has been drawn to an allegation made by the Governor of Oyo State, Mr. Seyi Makinde at his party’s campaign rally held today in Akure in which he called on the INEC Chairman to remove the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) for Ondo State, Mrs. Toyin Babalola,…
— INEC Nigeria (@inecnigeria) October 15, 2024
The electoral body urged public figures to verify their claims before making “serial, unfounded allegations” and stressed the importance of caution when spreading unverified information. CONTINUE READING.….
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