The Inter-Party Advisory Council in Ondo State has passed a vote of confidence in the Resident Electoral Commissioner, Oluwatoyin Babalola to conduct the November 16 off-cycle governorship election of the state. 

This came amid calls by the Peoples Democratic Party and some youth groups demanding  Mrs Babalola redeployment from the state, citing her alleged “fraternising” with the members of the ruling All Progressives Congress in the state.

Alleging that Mrs Babalola had been hobnobbing with the political leaders of the APC, the opposition political party claimed that the REC had been a resident in the state for several years, questioning her integrity to oversee the election.  

But addressing journalists on Wednesday in Akure, the IPAC state chairman, Olaoluwa Adesanya, said the alleged connivance of Mrs Babalola with any political party to subvert the upcoming November 16 election was untrue and could not be substantiated. 

Mr Olaoluwa, flanked by other executive members of IPAC, explained that the group already had absolute confidence in the ability of the state REC to conduct a credible and transparent governorship election of the state. 

“IPAC Ondo State has absolute confidence in the ability of the state resident electoral commissioner Mrs. Oluwatoyin Babalola to conduct free, fair, and credible election in the forthcoming November 16, 2024, governorship election in Ondo State,” he said. 

He stated that Mr Babalola had been carrying along all the parties that made up IPAC in the state, adding that she did it without bias especially regarding the coming governorship election.

“IPAC Ondo State Chapter hereby calls on security agents to monitor and call for arrest hired political thugs that may disrupt peace, before, during, and after the governorship election in Ondo State. IPAC Ondo State chapter, the umbrella of all political parties hereby unanimously passed votes of confidence in the INEC Ondo State Resident electoral Commissioner Mrs. Oluwatoyin Babalola to carry out her statutory duties on the forthcoming governorship election in Ondo State.”

In the meantime, the leadership of the state APC called on the national leadership of INEC not to succumb to pressure in redeploying Mrs Babalola from conducting the November 16 off-cycle governorship election of the state.

In a statement by his spokesman, Steve Otaloro to journalists in Akure on Wednesday, the party said the call by the opposition party for the removal of Mrs Babalola as the REC was an effort showed desperation and bitterness.

The APC added that it was alarming that the PDP would resort to such tactics, attempting to dictate who conducts the Ondo governorship election, noting that action of the main opposition party was contrary to the constitutional provisions and the Electoral Act 2022.