31st December, 2014
Eromosele Ebhomele
A seven-day mass protest is being planned across Oyo State, western Nigeria, to reject Ambassador Rufus Akeju as the newly deployed Resident Electoral Commissioner, REC, of the state by Nigeria’s Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.
The plot against Akeju is being organised by a group of social and human rights groups led by the Centre for Human Rights and Social Justice, CHRSJ.
Members of the groups are already said to be gathering in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, to finalise modalities for the marathon protests.
The groups described Akeju as lacking in integrity and character to lead Oyo State electoral process without rancour and controversy.
They also said it would be difficult for him to conduct free and fair elections in the state because of his tainted image.
According to CHRSJ which released a statement to the effect on Wednesday morning, many other states had rejected Akeju before he was posted to Oyo.
The group, in the statement signed by Comrade Adeniyi Alimi Sulaiman, its Executive Chairman, said it strongly condemns the deployment of Akeju to the state and that the protests would continue until the Resident Electoral Commissioner is sent out of the state.
The group said it is agitating that Akeju should not be posted to any state but be returned to the INEC headquarters where he should be made to serve his remaining term as a REC since he would be leaving office in June 2015.
Akeju was, until his recent deployment, the REC in charge of Osun State.
He was affected by the recent redeployment of the 37 RECs in the 36 states of the federation and Abuja. He is expected to resume from Wednesday (today) after handing over to the newly redeployed REC in Osun.
Akeju is believed to have earned himself a controversial image following his activities in Osun State prior to the election that returned Governor Rauf Aregbesola as the state governor.
Comrade Sulaiman applauded those who had rejected Akeju describing them as genuine progressive citizens of Nigeria and lovers of free, fair and transparent elections.
“If we remember Mrs. Ayoka Adebayo, the former Ekiti State Resident Electoral Commissioner, we shall know what integrity and impartiality are all about in the Commission and Professor Attahiru Jega as political scientist should remember ‘Wild Wild West saga in the Western region.”