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The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has responded to Ondo State Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) Toyin Babalola following his allegations regarding the placement of the latter.
Naija News understands that Makinde had earlier maintained that Babalola is from the state and therefore should not be sent to contest the upcoming governorship election.
Recall that the off-cycle gubernatorial election in Ondo State is scheduled for November 16, 2024.
However, INEC on Tuesday, on its official X account, referred to Mr Makinde’s remarks at an election event in Akure earlier in the day, in which he claimed to be from Ondo State and claimed to be from Babalola. demanded his removal.
INEC reiterated that RECs are not citizens of the state.
“For the avoidance of doubt, Mrs. Babalola is not from Ondo State and this is in line with the commission’s policy of not sending RECs to her home state,” the commission said.
INEC also recalled a similar incident in 2020 before the gubernatorial election in Ondo where Makinde alleged that INEC senior officials were collaborating with vice-chancellors of universities to sway the election results.
INEC refuted the claim saying it was not true.
“In 2020, ahead of the last gubernatorial election in the same state, he accused senior officials of the commission of collaborating with vice-chancellors of federal universities to undermine the election. The allegations were false,” INEC explained.
The Election Commission urged prominent celebrities to verify their claims before making “a series of baseless claims” and warned them to be careful about spreading baseless information.
