By  Tunde Thomas

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The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has been implored to extend the continuous voters registration exercise recently carried out in Ondo State as part of preparations for the governorship election coming up in the state very soon.
Making the appeal in Lagos, a Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) member of the House of Representatives, Joseph Akinlaja, said the exercise, which was rounded off last Sunday left many voters stranded, as they could not register within the five days earmarked for the exercise. According to Akinlaja, who represents Ondo East/West in lower legislative chamber, many people had been besieging his constituency office asking him to use his good office to appeal to INEC to extend the exercise.
Urging INEC to consider his appeal, Akinlaja said: “I hope INEC will listen to our pleas. It will amount to disenfranchising these people if they are not registered…” That means they will not be able to exercise their fundamental human rights. Even Ondo State Governor, Dr. Olusegun Mimiko has made a similar appeal. For the sake of our people and for the sake of democracy, INEC should extend the exercise,” he said.
The lawmaker, who expressed confidence that PDP would still win the election, declared that All Progressives Congress (APC) could not defeat PDP which is the ruling party in Ondo State.
“Forget all the APC propaganda, Ondo State people cannot be deceived. They know the difference. Governor Mimiko has transformed the state, and our people cannot leave the known for the unknown. APC is actually politically dead in Ondo State,” he declared.
Urging all political parties in the state not to see the election as a do-or-die affair, Akinlaja said: “I appeal to all political parties to embrace peace. Violence should be shunned. The election should not be seen as a matter of life and death. While I also urge INEC to be an impartial arbiter, I also want to implore all the political parties and other stakeholders that the will of the people must be respected.”