Osun State: IPAC charges Electoral Commission with credible Elections

The chairman, Inter Party Advisory Council (IPAC), Osun state council, Wale Adebayo, has urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to ensure the upcoming 2023 general elections are free and fair.

Adebayo made the plea in an interview with journalists at a summit of political parties and stakeholders organized by the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS) in collaboration with the IPAC.

Speaking on the theme of the summit “Political Parties, Elections and the Consolidation of Democracy: Emerging Issues and needed Interventions in Nigeria,” he urged the INEC to ensure that the votes of the citizens count.

Adebayo also warned citizens and political parties against any form of vote-buying and other forms of electoral malpractices in the forthcoming elections.

Speaking at the event, the Director-General, National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS), Professor Ayo Omotayo, represented by the Director of Research, Prof. Dung Pam Sha, also called for credible elections, improvement in the nation’s politics and sustaining faith in the democratic process ahead of 2023 general elections.

“In a bid to select the right set of leaders in the coming election, we must have a credible election in Nigeria for the improvement of the nation’s politics,” he observed.

Delivering his keynote address, the former INEC’s chairman, Professor Attahiru Jega, enjoined Nigerians to elect into power leaders who would seek the development and growth of the country.

“Nigerians should desist from accepting money offered by politicians as elections approach, while I urge you all to elect into power leaders who would seek the development and growth of the country,” he said.

Jega, however, expressed dismay over citizens’ lack of trust in the electoral process and the poor performance of those elected through the process.

Source: Tribune/ Wumi Samuel