2019: Ekiti Dep Speaker tasks INEC on neutrality, condemns Zamfara killings

JOHNSON OJO, Ado Ekiti

As Nigerians go to polls to elect their leaders next month, the Deputy Speaker of the Ekiti State House of Assembly, Hon. Olusegun Adewumi has requested neutrality from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC)

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) lawmaker also condemned the senseless killings in Zamfara and other parts of the country, calling on the security agencies to be alive to their responsibility of ensuring security of lives and property.

In his new message to Ekiti citizens on Thursday and signed  by his Media Assistant,  Charles Akinola ,  the Deputy Speaker described 2019 as a deciding year for the country, appealing that the integrity of the pols should not be tainted by INEC and politicians..

Of particular references, he said the presidential election holding early in the year was a litmus test for the capacity and readiness of Nigerians to deepen democratic conduct and good governance.

Adewumi said:  “The elite must show commitment to democratic ethos by allowing the people to freely bestow in whomever they desired, while citizens must also prove that sovereignty rest in them by resisting vote buying and other monetisation of the electoral process that could submerge their will”.

The Legislator charged leading presidential candidates to take a cue from former President Good luck Jonathan’s rare display of statemanship during the 2015 elections as he readily conceded defeat before the announcement of final results by INEC.

The Deputy Speaker called on the electoral umpire to live above board and lead the way in the steady growth of strategic institutions in Nigeria and the West Africa subregion.

Adewumi who commended the leading countries in the international community for their roles in the recent elections in Ekiti and Osun states also reminded them that “the Presidential and National Assembly elections are crucial as they signpost Nigeria’s role and image in the Africa democratisation process.

To this end, he urged them not only to funf election monitoring in the country, but impose a caveat on any attempt of the ruling class to subvert the will of the people.

The  Deputy Speaker further condemned the carnage in Zamfara State and the spate of criminality pervading other parts of the country, urging governments to take decisive step to protect the lives and property of Nigerians as enshrined in section 14 of the constitution.

” The 2019 elections must bring a paradigm shift in our electoral process. It has to be issue based and devoid of hate speech.

“The incumbent president and governors and others holding positions must tell Nigerians what they have done to be able to request the revalidation of their mandates.

“Those seeking to unseat them must also tell the electorate what they can do differently in order to win their trust rather than continue to engage in blame games.

“INEC has a lot of lesson to learn from the past. The occupant of the chairmanship position must emulate the achievement of Prof Attahiru Jega while President Muhammadu Buhari must live by example had done by Dr Jonathan, so that Nigeria can be at peace”.

Adewumi urged the electorate to vote by the dictate of their conscience and resist the temptation of vote buying that has the tendency of ruining the electoral system.

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