Ondo PDP Candidate Ajayi Seeks Replacement Of REC Citing APC Ties

Ondo PDP Candidate Ajayi Seeks Replacement Of REC Citing APC Ties

Agboola Ajayi, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate in Ondo State, has raised serious concerns about the impartiality of the upcoming election, scheduled for Saturday. In an interview with ireporteronline, Ajayi expressed doubts about the neutrality...CCONTINUE READING…

of Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) Oluwatoyin Babalola, alleging a partisan bias due to her associations with the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Ajayi claims reports have surfaced suggesting Babalola’s close connections to Ondo State Governor Lucky Aiyetiwada, his main APC rival. He stated, “The government has ample resources and ways of gathering information. If they want to be honest, they know that what we are saying is true. We felt that this woman is partisan, so she can never be fair.”

Ajayi also mentioned that the PDP has formally requested that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) replace Babalola, but as of now, no action has been taken. “She must be changed. We won’t keep quiet,” he added, warning that voters in the state would not tolerate any perceived bias.

He further criticized suggestions that the election would follow the “Edo template,” calling it a “shameful example.” Ajayi remarked that INEC must prioritize a fair process to maintain credibility. He refused to reveal his party’s strategies for preventing rigging but assured his supporters of confidence in victory, saying, “We have won already…Have you seen an incumbent governor panicking like this before?”

Ajayi, who served as deputy governor from 2017 to 2021 under former governor Rotimi Akeredolu, switched from the APC to the PDP after a public split with Akeredolu.