INEC must postpone Ondo election by 3 weeks- Makarfi, former PDP ministers insist
They spoke yesterday in Abuja at a meeting between Caretaker Committee and PDP former Ministers' Forum, adding that the three weeks would enable the legal dispute over their candidate to be resolved.
Addressing newsmen shortly after the meeting, the Spokesman of PDP, Prince Dayo Adeyeye, blamed Sen. Ali Modu Sheriff's faction for taking the case to the Supreme Court in their effort to thwart justice.
The party also lambasted INEC for giving recognition to Jimoh Ibrahim as PDP candidate, when it didn't monitor the primaries that produced him.
The PDP spokesman called on INEC to give recognition to Eyitayo Jegede considering that they monitored the primaries that produced him and moreso that there was a court order of equal jurisdiction that declared him candidate of the party just like Ibrahim.
He said: "INEC must postpone the election for a minimum of three weeks to allow everyone to participate. Every party should be allow to present candidates of their choice. The election must be postponed in the interest of peace."
He urged the commission to wait for the decision of the Supreme Court before conducting the election, pointing out that their candidate has been denied opportunity to campaign in the last few weeks.
He warned that the second republic was truncated partly because of the electoral crisis in the old Ondo State.
Adeyeye said: "Ondo state is a high educated state. We witnessed what happened in 1983. Ondo state wants to choose their own leader. The events lead to collapse of second republic.
"We don't want that to happen again. They should allow Ondo people to choose their candidate. Let there be level playing ground for all political parties to choose their candidates."
Earlier, Makarfi told former ministers, at an interactive session, that it was regrettable that Ondo is in center of the raging party crisis.
He however noted that while they anticipated that legal issues in the party will take long, they are hopeful that all the legal issues will be resolved before the end of this year.
Also speaking, the Chairman of PDP former Minsister Forum, Turaki Tanimu said, "we note with concern the way INEC handled the Edo election. Even though the matter is now in court and is now subjudice, I like to say the way and manner a public institution like INEC that is funded with tax payers money will come out to take side and to become partisan in an election matter is not proper; it is unfortunate.
"We also frown at what INEC is doing now in collaboration and in conspiracy with some other political parties trying to manipulate the process in the Ondo State election.
"We therefore want to join the call made by the leadership of the PDP to ask that the Ondo election be postponed to allow for the issues in court to be resolved and for all parties to have a level playing ground. We believe that what INEC needs to do is to ensure that there is a level playing ground.
"It is not in the interest of the country if INEC continues in the way they have been handling highly sensitive election issues in the country."
Some former ministers present at the meeting are Fani-Kayode, Esther Nanadi Usman, Abba Moro, Mike Onolomemen, suleiman, Akuabata Njeze, Tanimu Turaki, Sule Lamido.

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