The Inter Party Advisory Council (IPAC), has cautioned the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the security agencies against compromising the Osun State governorship election slated for Saturday, July 16.
It noted that INEC should restore the confidence of the people of Osun, the rest of the nation and the world at large that the era of daylight robbery of the people’s right to choose their representatives is over in Nigeria.
This is even as it implored voters to resist attempts by powerful forces to deceive, intimidate or induce them into compromising their fundamental, inalienable right to freely elect the political leaders of their choice.
IPAC’s National Chairman, Yabaji Sani, in a statement yesterday, said the peace accord signed by political parties and their candidates should be upheld for a hitch-free electoral contest.
Sani said: “The Osun State gubernatorial election is here with us, holding in a few days from today, precisely, on the 16th of July, 2022. Significantly, the election is also coming seven months to the general elections in the country.
“Our experience on the 16th of this month can therefore, be regarded as providing a window into what we shall be witnessing in the conduct of upcoming elections across the country in the days and months ahead.
“We are here gathered as stakeholders to heighten the importance of the governorship election in Osun State and especially, the significance of a peaceful, orderly, credible and transparent exercise.
“By signing a peace accord few hours before this occasion organized by IPAC, the key players and actors, that is, the political parties and their candidates, are solemnly and willingly, committing themselves to avoiding all manners of actions that can trigger violence or, compromise the credibility and integrity of the exercise.
“It is another turn in the history of this peaceful small state, but, a state with a remarkable history that stands it out as a giant and a luminous light in the history of the country through the times from independence till date. “