The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate in the upcoming Ikenne/Sagamu/Remo North Federal Constituency by-election, Hon. Bola Oluwole, has fired back at his All Progressives Congress (APC) counterpart, Hon. Adesola Elegbeji, over her controversial call for a constitutional amendment that would allow political parties to retain legislative seats without elections in the event of a lawmaker’s death.
In a swift reaction to Elegbeji’s statement, Hon. Oluwole described the proposal as undemocratic, self-serving and a threat to the core values of Nigeria’s electoral system.
According to him “amending the existing law now or latter to suit a party’s convenience is like shifting the goalpost in the middle of a match,” Oluwole stated on Friday.
“Democracy thrives on the will of the people. The fact that a particular party won a previous election does not mean that position becomes its permanent birthright. The people must always have a say.”
Hon. Oluwole was responding to comments made by Elegbeji during a press event in Abeokuta, where the APC candidate lamented that her party should not be made to go through another electoral contest following the unfortunate death of their lawmaker, the late Hon. Adewunmi Onanuga, who passed away earlier this year.
Elegbeji had described the by-election as “double punishment” for the APC and suggested that political parties should, in the future, be allowed to simply “appoint a replacement without going through an election.”
Oluwole condemned the suggestion as a veiled attempt to bypass the democratic process and impose candidates on the people.
“If they truly believe they are popular, why are they afraid of a fair contest?” Oluwole asked.
“Every seat must be contested based on competence, integrity and the capacity to deliver, not handed over like a family inheritance.”
He added that the Constitution and Electoral Act were never designed to protect political parties but to protect the rights and sovereignty of the electorates.
“This by-election is not a reward for grief, it is a duty to democracy,” he said.
“Let the people decide. That’s what democracy is all about.”
Asiwaju Bola Oluwole urged the people of the Ikenne/Sagamu/Remo North Federal Constituency to reject any attempt to manipulate the electoral process and to use the upcoming August 16 by-election to assert their power through the ballot box.
“This is not about party politics alone, It is about protecting our democracy from the hands of those who wish to weaken it for their selfish interests.
