The Peoples Democratic Party, or PDP, Ondo State branch, has withdrawn from the race just 48 hours before Saturday’s local government election.
The opposition party claimed that the state Independent Electoral Commission, or ODIEC, lacked the credibility to hold the poll while accusing it of being opaque.
Bakita Bello, the party’s interim chairperson, confirmed the incident and said that the party’s stance had been conveyed to the electoral authority.
After fielding 131 candidates for councillorship and 15 candidates for chairperson, the PDP indicated a few months ago that it will run in the election.
Leye Igbagbo, the state’s director of media and publicity, signed the letter, which emphasized that its conclusions showed that ODIEC could not be trusted with the process.
“The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Ondo State Chapter, has withdrawn from participating in the January 18th, 2025, local government elections organised by the Ondo State Independent Electoral Commission (ODIEC). This decision is a product of several layers of consultations of party leaders, stakeholders,, and the National Secretariat of our great party.
“Recent observations and reports point to a troubling pattern of double standards by ODIEC, raising serious doubts about their ability to conduct a free, fair, and credible election.
“As a responsible political party committed to democracy and the rule of law, we cannot, in good conscience, confer legitimacy on this compromised process by participating in the election.”
