The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has told the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to redeploy the Imo State Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Prof. Sylvia Agu.
The party’s spokesperson, Debo Ologunagba, gave the advice in a statement in Abuja on Monday.
Ologunagba who has accused Agu of compromising to rig next Saturday;s governorship election in the state, asked the INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, to immediately deploy REC.
He said Yakubu should toe the line of the Inspector General of Police, who redeployed the Commissioners of Police in Bayelsa, Imo and Kogi in response to public demand to ensure neutrality in the elections.
The party urged Yakubu to heed public outcry, petitions and protests by the people of Imo, political parties, civil society organisations for the removal of Agu over her alleged compromise.
The people of Imo, he said, could not accept any electoral process with Agu as REC, given her alleged role “in the manipulation of the 2023 National and House of Assembly elections in Imo”.
According to him, the redeployment of Agu out of Imo is therefore the only way to restore public confidence in the electoral process, guarantee a credible election and avert a crisis in the 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.
“Agu has lost the rectitude as REC and should not be part of the conduct of the November 11 governorship election.
“Her continuing stay in office as Imo REC is vexatious and a recipe for crisis.
“The PDP, therefore, restates its demand on the INEC Chairman to immediately redeploy Agu out of Imo so as to restore the confidence of the people and the integrity of the electoral process,” Ologunagba said.
