Ndubuisi Orji, Abuja

Ahead of the October 10 Ondo governorship election, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has cautioned the state government against the use of the local security outfit, Amotekun, to intimidate political opponents.

The PDP National Chairman,  Uche Secondus, gave the caution, while speaking at the inauguration of the party’s national campaign council for the Ondo governorship poll, yesterday,  at the party’s national secretariat, in Abuja.  Secondus noted that the people of South West sought for the creation of Amotekun to secure them, stating that anything short of that will amount to undermining the will of the people.

According to him,  “we want to warn that state security outfits are at experimental stages and any abuse will mean the end of it. The people of the South West desired Amotekun to secure them, anything otherwise would be undermining the will of the people.”

The PDP chairman added that the opposition party is geared towards recovering all the states it hitherto controlled, which are now in the hands of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).  He reiterated the call on President Muhammadu Buhari to ensure a level-playing field in the Edo and Ondo governorship polls, so that the votes of the people can count.

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“This government can do this by ensuring that they respect the Constitution and the Electoral Act, as well as the ruling of Supreme Court of Nigeria that say that security operatives particularly the military should not meddle in election matters outside providing adequate and equal security to all the parties within the requirements of the law.

“PDP therefore expects that in both Edo and Ondo states elections, the military should be kept out of it completely and police and other security agencies who are supposed to be at election venues should be made to operate within the dictates of the law.

“The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) should refuse to be intimidated and strive to always carry out their duties strictly as set out by the law,” Secondus stated. Speaking at the event, the Chairman of the PDP Ondo National Campaign Council, Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State, said the October 10 governorship poll is a choice between progress and stagnation.

Gov. Makinde assured that the PDP will go into the election with a united house, as efforts are being made to ensure that members and leaders of the party in Ondo State close ranks ahead of the governorship poll.