Re: Civil Society Organization Petition INEC Over A Breach Of 2022 Electoral Act By Lagos PDP Gubernatorial Candidate
17th August 2022
Re: Civil Society Organization Petition INEC Over a Breach of 2022 Electoral Act By Lagos PDP Gubernatorial Candidate
The pretender, Nelson Ekujumi, a known publicist of the Lagos APC, who claimed to be the Executive Chairman of a civil society organization named Committee for the Protection of Peoples Mandate (CPPM) petitioned the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) over a supposed breach of the 2022 Electoral Law by JANDOR and his running mate.
Ekujumi alleged that the Lagos PDP Guber candidate and his team engaged in political campaigns of canvassing voters ahead of the official kick-off date in violation of the law via a documentary aired on Arise TV to commemorate the 2022 International Youth Day on Friday 12th of August 2022.
We are not taken by surprise by this baseless petition sponsored by the clueless APC government which has found itself in an abyss of public opprobrium and in recent times, has been throwing tantrums over the rising popularity of JANDOR and the Lagos PDP. Also, we wouldn’t have dignified the rabble-rouser with a response since we are sure that INEC, as the unbiased umpire will educate him and his paymasters on the difference between electioneering campaign and sensitization awareness on International Youth Day. But for the need to expose the charlatans from misleading the public, this response became necessary.
Dr. Abdul-Azeez Olajide Adediran (JANDOR) and the Lagos PDP are well aware of the provisions of the Electoral Law 2022 on electioneering campaigns and have not in any way taken any action in violation of the law.
All the registered political parties are allowed to engage in political sensitization, voters’ education, and awareness before the official kick-off time for electioneering campaigns.
It is of public knowledge that even the APC and its guber candidate have taken huge advantage of this provision to the point of preventing other political parties from the use of advert space in the state while he consistently inundates the voting public with his ambition to seek another term in office with his messages of “Lekan si” on different media spaces.
Even its presidential candidate is everywhere with his “Emi lokan” political appeal. The said content of the documentary claimed to have violated the Electoral Law would not have been aired by Arise TV or any other national television if it had violated any known law.
Of course, we expect the APC to find fault in any efforts to commend and motivate the resilient Nigerian youths who they have tagged “the Lazy Youths” especially on the occasion of the International Youth Day because of the memory of the sad event of the massacre of some youths during the End SARS protests still hunt them.
JANDOR and Lagos PDP will not be distracted from the vision to offer a breath of fresh air to the good people of Lagos state, especially the youths who have suffered untold hardship and total neglect from the corrupt and clueless APC-led state government and its godfather for over two decades.
We, therefore, enjoin the voting public to ignore the baseless sponsored petition and to continue to get prepared to massively vote out the APC in the 2023 general elections.
Signed:
Gbenga Ogunleye Head, Media & Communications JANDOR4Governor Campaign Organization
