2023 Elections: Traditional Rulers Will Work With INEC - Ooni Of Ife

The Ooni Ife, Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi has assured that the traditional institution in Osun State would work with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in the forthcoming elections.

The partnership, the Ooni maintained, will serve to ensure a hitch-free, transparent and successful general elections in Nigeria.

The monarch made this known as he welcomed the Dr Mutiu Agboke, the Resident Electoral Commissioner of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on a sensitisation visit in Ife on Friday.

He also assured that the electorates in the state would collect their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs).

Earlier, the Resident Electoral Commissioner, Osun State, Dr Mutiu Agboke stated that gone were the days when the votes of the people will not count.

While adding that the electorates were more interested in the activities of INEC, Agboke stated that the Commission's achievements were predicated on the fact that INEC elections are determined by the votes of the people counting.

He disclosed that the use of technology through the introduction of the card reader technology in 2011 which was not able to totally curb election fraud.

Agboke added that the Electoral Act of 2022, aided the use of Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) in voting and accreditation on election day is now technology based through the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) without which you electorates can't cast their votes.

Agboke who lamented that in Osun State, lots of PVCs remained uncollected added that the uncollected PVCs were enough to make a candidate to win.

He also alleged that politicians from across the divide have been purchasing PVCs from the electorates in order to suppress the number of votes on election day.

He also stated that the purpose of his visit to the Ooni Ife is to solicit his intervention in encouraging the people to collect their PVCs.

"I assure the Ooni that it is the electorates that will determine the winner of the 2023 general elections and that the era of election manipulation has gone for good due to BVAS accreditation."

Agboke also added that the collection of PVCs has been extended to January 29, 2023.