Candidates in the August 16 Ibadan North Federal Constituency by-election in Oyo State, on Wednesday, signed a peace accord pledging to ensure a peaceful, free, fair, and transparent poll.
The agreement was signed at the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) State Headquarters in Ibadan and witnessed by the Oyo State Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Dr. Adeniran Tella, and the State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Femi Aruna.
Present were representatives of the Nigerian Army, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Department of State Services (DSS), National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), and the National Orientation Agency (NOA).
Dr. Tella said the peace accord aimed to create a conducive environment for voters to exercise their rights, thereby enhancing the legitimacy and credibility of the electoral process. He noted that INEC had maintained regular engagements with the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES), with the Commissioner of Police as the lead security officer.
The candidates are Akin Alamu – African Democratic Party (ADC), Haastrup Olatunji – All Progressives Congress (APC), Olabisi Odususi – All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Sunday Oyekunle – Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Hammed Badmus – Zenith Labour Party (ZLP)
The REC urged parties and candidates to strictly adhere to the peace pact and avoid voter intimidation on election day.
Tella disclosed that all non-sensitive materials for the election had been deployed to the local government area. The by-election will be conducted in 512 polling units, with 272,196 registered voters expected to participate. INEC has configured 526 Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) machines, with 48 backups, and will use the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV) to upload results in real time.
APC candidate Olatunji praised INEC and security agencies for their preparations, while PDP candidate Oyekunle urged the commission to ensure a free, fair, and transparent process.
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