Ahead of the November 11 governorship election, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has called on the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, to immediately redeploy the Imo State Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Prof. Sylvia Agu.
The party made the call in a statement issued by Debo Ologunagba, the National Publicity Secretary of the PDP and made available to newsmen on Monday.
PDP said Yakubu should forestall an impending crisis in the Imo State election by heeding the insistent outcry, petitions and protests by the people of Imo State, political parties and civil society organizations for the removal of Agu, adding that Agu has been compromised by APC to manipulate the election in their favour.
The party further asked the INEC Chairman to take a cue from the Inspector General of Police who redeployed the Commissioners of Police in Bayelsa, Imo and Kogi States in response to the outcry and demands.
The statement reads in part, “Prof. Yakubu should forestall an impending crisis in the Imo State election by heeding the insistent outcry, petitions and protests by the people of Imo State, Political Parties, Civil Society Organizations as well as Ohaneze Youth Council for the removal of the Prof. Sylvia Agu who has allegedly, been compromised by the APC.
“The people of Imo State cannot accept any electoral process with Prof. Agu as REC, given her reported role in the brazen manipulation of the 2023 National and House of Assembly elections in Imo State in favour of the APC, which is still in the public domain.
“The redeployment of Sylvia Agu out of Imo State is therefore the only way to restore confidence in the electoral process, guarantee a credible election and avert a crisis in the state.
“This is especially so as there are very disturbing allegations in the public space of clandestine meetings between Prof. Agu and certain APC agents said to have been facilitated by her close relative, who is an APC national officer, ahead of the November 11, 2023 governorship election in Imo State.
“The PDP calls on the INEC Chairman to note that the integrity of an election principally lies in the confidence of the electorate in the electoral process.”