Posted by Political parties and their candidates have been urged by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to foster a climate of political tolerance and maturity.
The electoral umpire further observed that in order to demonstrate the virtue of the spirit, this virtue would permit healthy competition among political parties and their candidates.
At a stakeholders gathering for the 2023 general elections on Friday in Osogbo, Dr. Mutiu Agboke, the Osun INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner, included this in his speech.
Agboke added that INEC is working relentlessly to achieve free, fair, and credible elections on the planned dates, noting that there are still 42 days to the general elections.
The head of Osun’s INEC also gave the stakeholders the assurance that Osun voters would decide the outcome of the 2023 elections.
“INEC is working relentlessly to deliver free, fair, and credible elections on the planned dates,” he stated.
When the next election is held in February 2023, “INEC will meticulously apply the laws without fear or favor to achieve a free credible inclusive and transparent election.”
Agboke urged the stakeholders to make sure that there would be no intentional violations of the 2022 Electoral Act during the general elections in 2023, arguing that doing so was crucial to the smooth operation of the electoral process and the development of a respectable election outcome.
“I am confident that the conversation we will have today will be lively and interesting, and that the Party Chairmen and Candidates here will be dedicated to making sure that the 2023 General Election is free of willful violations of the Electoral Act of 2022, primarily by allowing the electoral process to run smoothly and fostering a rich democratic culture and a fair election outcome.”
Regarding the problem of campaign posters and billboards being vandalized, Agboke stated that it has stoked real politic anxieties and that security services were on the case to apprehend those responsible or complicit in the undemocratic show of shame.
He urged political parties and their candidates to inform their members to collect their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs), saying that INEC had extended the collection deadline, in his charge to political parties and their candidates to seek votes from the electorates.
Vandalizing billboards and political posters is illegal, the Osun Command Commissioner for Police Patrick Kehinde Longe noted in his response.
Longe also issued a warning that anyone found in violation of the Electoral Act will face harsh punishment.
“Democracy does not condone acts of violence or the repression of other citizens,” he asserts. We must constitutionally reflect our free will.
“We must not resort to violence and destruction of other people’s billboards. I have had cause to call some groups to appeal to them. The law will take its course when it goes beyond appealing and we don’t want it to get to that level.
“Aspirants should notify security agencies before embarking on campaigns to avoid a clash of interest.”
The Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC) Osun Chairman, Simon Adebayo while noting that the election is not a civil war asked stakeholders to remember their brotherly affinity before political interests.