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With just eight days to the governorship and House of Assembly elections, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate for Irepodun/Ifelodun constituency 2 in Ekiti State, Sunday Omosilade, has announced his withdrawal from the election, saying “I can’t be part of an already determined process.”
Omosilade said the neutrality and independence of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had been called into question with the conduct of the previous elections, especially last Saturday’s Presidential and National Assembly elections.
In a letter dated March 1, 2019, and addressed to the State chapter of the PDP, a copy of which was sent to INEC, Omosilade read: “Please be informed of my withdrawal from the Ekiti State House of Assembly Irepodun/Ifelodun Constituency ll coming up on the 9th of March, 2019.
“I have personally lost confidence in the electoral process most especially with the last Saturday’s Presidential and National Assembly elections that were brazenly manipulated in favour of the APC coupled with the unchecked harassment/intimidation by security agencies before, during and after the elections.
“The neutrality/independent of INEC has been called to question in previous and the just-concluded elections in Nigeria, hence my lack of confidence in the process.
“I have copied INEC this letter to intimate the commission of this development.
“While thanking the party and its members for the opportunity given me to represent them, I feel I can’t operate under an already determined end of a process.”