Leaders of both the ruling Labour Party and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ondo State on Tuesday engaged themselves in a shouting match, at the stakeholders meeting convened by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to resolve the issues on the inconclusiveness of the April 5, 2014 bye-election in the state.
The electoral umpire had declared the bye-election into the vacant Ilaje/Ese-Odo Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives inconclusive on April 6, following the failure to hold election in some areas in Ese-Odo and Ilaje Local Governments.
The INEC’s declaration had generated series of controversies among the three major political parties which necessitated the stakeholders’ meeting convened by INEC’s /, for all the parties to take position on the need for supplementary election and the agreed date for the exercise.
The conference room of the INEC became rowdy when Orebiyi faulted the involvement of the Minister of State for Defence, Senator Musilu Obanikoro in the election.
Orebiyi had noted that it was wrong for the minister to get himself involved in the election in which he was not in anyway involved, the comment which was swiftly objected to by the Chairman of the PDP in Ondo State, Ebenezer Alabi, who stood up and expressed his outburst, thus leading to a shouting match among leaders and members of the two rival political parties at the meeting.
The PDP chairman in a response to Orebiyi’s statement also queried the involvement of the State governor, Dr. Olusegun Mimiko in the election when he was not from the Federal Constituency.
The situation was however brought under control after about five minutes of hot exchanges with the REC declaring that the parties were not ready for the supplementary election in the areas.
“What happened this afternoon has shown that the parties are not ready for the supplementary election. If politicians had allowed the process put in place for the election to hold, the election would have been a model.
“The INEC tried its best to ensure that the election was an improvement on the previous ones. Politicians are holding this country to ransom. We are not laying good examples for the youths. One of the Corps members that was involved in the election, tendered the N8, 000 given to him.
Orebiyi said that INEC would continue to invoke the provision of inconclusiveness until politicians do what is right, advising them to go home and consult with their leaders stating that another meeting would hold next week Wednesday, April 23.
The REC said he would report to the INEC National Headquarters on what transpired at the meeting while the security officers would do the same thing, adding that the commission would meet the LP at the court if served of the court process.
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