The governor of Ondo, Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, has slammed the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for raising fears over the alleged appointment of the vice-chancellor of Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) as the returning officer for the election.
Akeredolu that this is a false alarm as the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has never at any time chosen Professor Eyitope Ogunbodede as its chief returning officer.
In a statement through the spokesperson of his campaign office, Richard Olabode Olatunde, Akeredolu wondered where Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo got the news from.
The Ondo governor noted that Makinde as a member of the Nigerian council of state should know that INEC cannot appoint any indigene from the state a returning officer for the election.
Akeredolu expressed disappointment over Makinde’s position and said that the Oyo governor should know better, calling him a disgrace to public decency.
The statement reads in part:
“Governor Makinde, as a member of the Nigerian Council of State, ought to know that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) does not, and shall never appoint a Returning Officer who is an indigene to administer elections.
“No indigene of Ondo State can ever be made a Returning Officer.
“By this pedestrian dance, Governor Makinde has shown himself to be a disgrace to public decency and the office he is holding.”
Earlier, the PDP vehemently rejected the returning officer for the Ondo gubernatorial election. After a training conducted by Ogunbodede, was allegedly picked for the job.
