Ondo 2012: ACN snubs INEC deadline for candidate’s name submission •Its not true — ACN

Written by Jacob Segun Olatunji, Abuja and Yinka Oladoyinbo, Akure Sunday, 19 August 2012

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The Action Congress Of Nigeria (ACN) has run foul of the provision of the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) directive and guideline for the October 20 gubernatorial election in Ondo State,

which gave August 15 as the deadline for all participating parties in the election to submit the form with names and details of their candidates.

The form is the formal presentation of intention of the parties to INEC confirming their intentions to take part in the election and the details of the candidate each of the participating parties would be fielding for same.

An INEC source informed Sunday Tribune that the ACN did not meet the August 15 deadline, though other parties that had informally indicated interest in the election officially informed the electoral body by meeting the deadline for the submission of their forms before the end of the stipulated date given to do so.

The development which had technically disqualified the ACN and its candidate from the scheduled election has been described by stakeholders and other interested parties in the election privy to the development as a flagrant disregard to the electoral laws upon which a free and fair election is run.

“Up until the close of work on August 15, which was the deadline for the submission of parties letter of intent, names and details of their candidates to the INEC office in the state of the election, every other parties had complied with the rule, except the Action Congress of Nigeria” an INEC source offered.

The source further said the development had a grave consequence on the party and its candidate because “there is no game without its rules and whoever that has refused to abide by the rules is presumed not interested, especially when other interested parties ensured they met the deadline”.

The INEC official said the decision of the party to disregard the submission deadline was an indirect and one major way it could tell the commission of its non-readiness to be part of the coming election.

However,the Akeredolu’s campaign organisation, denied the August 15 deadline, saying that Ondo INEC’s letter read August 20.The INEC letter was quoted to have read: “You are kindly reminded that the last day for submission to INEC headquarters, Abuja of forms CF 001 and CF 002 for Ondo State governorship candidate is Monday, August 20, 2012.”

Meanwhile, as the governorship election in Ondo State draws nearer, the State Commissioner of Transport,Otunba Nicholas Tofowomo has debunked the claims by the oppositions that there were abandoned projects in the State declaring that the state has no history of abandoned projects under the administration of Governor Olusegun Mimiko.

Otunba Tofowomo, who made the clarification on Saturday while speaking with Sunday Tribune on the chances of the re- election of Governor Mimiko in the October poll challenged those making such wild and false allegations to come up with the comprehensive lists of the abandoned projects and their locations.

According to him, “no abandoned projects any where in Ondo state. In fact, all the projects being executed by the administration were people-oriented ones,the records are there for the people to see.They are pathological liars but our people are not fools, even the Ondo State University of Science and Technology which they listed as one of the abadoned projects will be admitting students by the next academic session”.

He pointed out that no amount of propaganda or campaign of calumny by the opposition against Governor Mimiko would make the people to change their minds over night against their anointed candidate, saying,''It is going to be a harvest period for Iroko. Our people, irrespective of their political parties, will vote enmass for him.They are waiting eagerly for the day when they will show their appreciation for the good work he has been doing in the state since assumption office”.

Otunba Tofowomo explained that it was on record that Governor Mimiko administratio alone had executed 550 developmementaal projects in all the nooks and crannies of the State which is unprecendented in history of the State since creation.