PETITION AGAINST A BREACH OF PROVISIONS OF 2022 ELECTORAL ACT BY MR OLAJIDE ADEDIRAN OF THE PEOPLES DEMOCRATIC PARTY (PDP)
With due regards Sir, I have the pleasure of the governing board of the Committee for the Protection of Peoples Mandate (CPPM) to intimate you with this civil society organization which is at the vanguard of advocating for accountability and good governance through civilized means of engagement.
Mr. Chairman Sir, we wish to bring to your notice for appropriate action, a clear breach of provisions of the 2022 Electoral Act and publicly published INEC election guidelines by a candidate and his political party, which is capable of undermining the sanctity of our electoral process and endangering national security which deserves to be urgently dealt with in accordance with the provisions of the law.
Sir, on Friday 12th of August 2022, we watched in awe on a national television station (Arise TV), how Mr Olajide Adediran the Lagos State PDP governorship candidate and his deputy Ms Funke Akindele of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Mr. Bankole Wellington aka Banky W, a house of representatives candidate of the party and others flagrantly violated the provisions of the 2022 Electoral Act through engaging in political campaigns by canvassing voters in contravention of section 94 (1) of the Electoral Act and published INEC election guidelines via a commemorative documentary on the occasion of the 2022 International Youth Day.
According to section 94 (1) of the 2022 Electoral Act, “For the purpose of this Act, the period of campaigning in public by every political party shall commence 150 days before polling day and end 24 hours prior to that day”.
In view of the above provision of the 2022 Electoral Act and in obeisance to the publication of the 2022 Election guidelines by the independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) which has scheduled Gubernatorial and States House of Assembly elections campaigns to hold between October 12 2022 – March 9 2023, we are of the strong view that Mr Olajide Adediran and Ms Funke Akindele, the Lagos State governorship and deputy governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Mr. Banky W. and others, have wilfully and flagrantly violated the provisions of the 2022 Electoral law and INEC guidelines by engaging in political campaigns on 12th August 2022, well ahead of the official commencement date for gubernatorial and house of representatives elections campaigns as stipulated by the 2022 Electoral Act and INEC guidelines, therefore, they must be made to face the consequences as prescribed by law.
Chairman Sir, our concern with the obvious breach of the provisions of the 2022 Electoral Act and INEC published guidelines by Mr Olajide Adediran and his party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), stems from the fact that if this violation is not addressed according to law, it has the tendency to embolden other political parties and candidates to toe same line of lawlessness by disregard for the law of the land which is an invitation to anarchy.
We are very much aware that our youths are law abiding and patriotic citizens desirous of contributing their quota to our democratic process in a lawful manner and would not in anyway want to be associated with the act of irresponsibility and lawlessness exhibited by Mr. Olajide Adediran, Ms Funke Akindele, Mr Bankole Wellington aka Banky W and others and their party in the documentary on the commemoration of the 2022 International Youth Day.
Mr. Chairman Sir, our democracy can only be deepened if all the stakeholders play according to the rules at all times. Therefore, it is incumbent on the commission to investigate and take appropriate action according to law against this contravention of the provisions of the 2022 Electoral Act and the commission’s published election guideline, so as to maintain the dignity and sanctity of our electoral process as well as engender national security.
We also want it placed on record that the independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has a responsibility to take a firm stand in averting a reoccurrence of this breach of the 2022 electoral Act by admonishing media organizations and other communication platforms to be responsible and focused on the provisions of the law and not be a medium or accomplices for acts which violate our constitution, undermine democracy and endanger national security if all political parties and candidates toe the same line of lawlessness like Mr Adediran and others from his political party.
Sir, please find attached with this petition for your consideration, a copy of the evidence of the contravention of the 2022 Electoral Act and the Commission’s election guideline by Mr Olajide Adediran and others of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Lagos State as aired on a national television station on the 12th of August, 2022.
Mr. Chairman, please accept the compliments of our high regards as we await appropriate action on this petition.
