The Imole Campaign Council, the campaign organisation of the Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke, has called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to immediately withdraw the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) for Ebonyi State, Pauline Ugoyenka, from Osun ahead of Saturday’s governorship election.
The council alleged that Ms Ugoyenka was in Osun despite not being listed among the RECs deployed to supervise the election, and demanded that INEC explain her presence and activities in the state.
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The demand was contained in a statement issued on Thursday by the Chairman of the council’s Media and Publicity Committee, Bamidele Salam.
The council also raised concerns over alleged plans to use ballot papers and result sheets that were not specifically customised for the Osun governorship election.
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According to Mr Salam, the council received reports that Ms Ugoyenka was staying at Tees Continental Hotel on Laro Timileyin Street, Ayekale, Osogbo, Osun State.
He alleged that the Ebonyi REC, an information and communication technology expert, had previously stayed at Aenon Suites, where he claimed individuals allegedly brought in by the All Progressives Congress (APC) from Lagos and Abuja were also lodged.
The campaign council did not provide evidence to substantiate the allegations concerning the alleged hackers or their activities.
It, however, questioned the authority under which Ms Ugoyenka was allegedly operating in Osun.
The council said an INEC letter dated 3 August and addressed to RECs from 15 contributing states identified the states providing supervisory personnel for the Osun election, adding that Ebonyi was not included among them.
“So, who authorised Mrs Pauline Ugoyenka’s presence in Osun, and what exactly is she doing here?” the council asked.
“This is an election, not a covert operation. INEC must immediately explain her role, authority and activities in Osun and publish the full list of all officials deployed for the election.”
The council appealed to INEC’s national leadership to investigate what it described as the “unofficial” presence of the Ebonyi REC and ordered that she leave the state if she was not officially assigned duties there.
“We demand immediate exit of the Ebonyi REC as she was not posted here for any official duties and her presence constitutes grave danger to the electoral health of Osun people,” the statement said.
Mrs Ugoyenka could not be reached for comment at the time of filing this report.
Concern over electoral materials
Beyond the presence of the REC, the Adeleke campaign organisation also demanded clarification from INEC over alleged concerns about the customisation of ballot papers and result sheets for Saturday’s election.
The council said electoral materials intended for the Osun governorship election should be clearly customised, produced and verified for the poll.
“We also seek immediate clarification from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on why electoral materials meant specifically for the Osun governorship election would not be duly customised,” it said.
It warned that the campaign would oppose any process it believed could undermine the credibility of the election.
“Accord will not accept any arrangement capable of compromising the integrity, transparency or credibility of the August 15 election,” the council said.
The council urged INEC to provide immediate clarification and ensure that only properly customised ballot papers and result sheets produced and verified for the Osun governorship election are used.
“Anything short of this raises serious questions about the credibility of the process and will be firmly resisted,” it warned.
The Osun governorship election is scheduled for Saturday, 15 August, with Governor Adeleke seeking another term against other candidates, including the APC candidate, Bola Oyebamiji, and the African Democratic Congress candidate, Najeem Salam.
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