The People’s Democratic Party, PDP, in Ondo State has challenged the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, and the Ondo State Independent Electoral Commission, ODIEC, to clear the air on whether the scheduled Local Government elections would hold in the state.
Besides, it wants clarity on whether the elections would hold in the 33 newly created Local Council Development Areas, LCDAs, apart from the existing 18 councils.
In a statement by its state spokesman, Mr. Kennedy Ikantu Peretei, the PDP asked ODIEC to affirm its sincerity about conducting the elections.
The PDP said in the statement titled “Ondo LG elections: APC sitting on a keg of gun powder”, that:
“Lately, State Chairman of All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ondo State, Mr Ade Adetimehin has been dancing around town with those he claimed defected from opposition parties to the APC, but it is clear now that, Adetimehin and his co-travellers are comfortably seated on a keg of gun powder.
“A couple of months ago, the Ondo State Independent Electoral Commission (ODIEC) announced its readiness to conduct Local Government Elections into the eighteen Local Government Areas in December, 2023.
“However, the electoral body rescheduled the polls for February, 2024. While preparations were on top gear, the State Government announced the creation of 33 LCDAs. The confusion and protests that greeted the mere political rascality of the Akeredolu administration tagged LCDA creation is yet to settle.
“ODIEC is yet to clear the air on whether or not elections will hold in the newly created LCDAs. Amidst all of these, APC leaders mobilised themselves to ODIEC headquarters in Oba-Ile, Akure to physically destroy the list of “supposed” APC Candidates for the LG elections, claiming that, there was nowhere primary elections were held to nominate candidates.
“Across the State, there are protests of imposition of candidates by wife of the Governor, Mrs Betty Akeredolu. There are reports that, some of the candidates are not even card carrying members of the APC. Their only qualification is being Betty’s kinsmen.
“The Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) Ondo State Chapter urges ODIEC to clear the air on whether or not they are sincere about the conduct of the Local Government elections instead of allowing our party candidates to waste their resources on a phantom LG polls.
“Our party also wishes to advise Adetimehin, Betty Akeredolu and APC to allow due process in nominating candidates for the elections instead of courting trouble as that will amount to sitting on a keg of gun powder.”
