An Osun State-based civil rights group has described as “crude, reckless and inciting” the allegations by the Peoples Democratic Party that the All Peoples Congress in the State was trying to pressurize the Independent National Electoral Commission to shift the date of the Osun West Senatorial District by-election from July 8, 2017.
In a statement signed by its Executive Secretary, Comrade Tunji Awosehin, the non-governmental organisation remarked that the only constitutionally empowered body to conduct and determine the date of elections is INEC and the electoral umpire has reaffirmed its commitment to holding the bye election on July 8, 2017.
The statement reads in parts: “We are disturbed and wish to alert the good people of Osun West Senatorial zone in particular and Nigerians in general, as well as the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), to be vigilant to the blackmail tactics of these anti democratic elements.
“Therefore, we are calling on the good people of Osun West Senatorial District to beware of the tactics of enemies of democracy who are subterraneously working to undermine the election but have resorted to employing blackmail as a tool to distract and confuse the electorate.”
The group also called “on INEC, the security agencies, the political parties and the electorate to remain vigilant and resolutely committed to the peaceful and orderly conduct of the Osun West Senatorial District by- election on July 8th, 2017, All eligible voters should troop out and participate in the election, peacefully and in exercise of their fundamental human rights enshrined in the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights 1948”.
It would be recalled that the National Chairman of the PDP, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff, had alleged that there were plans to shift to shift the elections, while INEC, through its Director of Publicity and Voter Education, Oluwole Osaze-Uzzi, has said it has no plan to shift the Osun West Senatorial District election slated for July 8.