Ahead of the Saturday’s governorship election in Ondo State, the International Human Rights Commission (IHRC) has urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to sustain the success it recorded in the just-concluded Edo gubernatorial poll.
IHRC Envoy in Nigeria, Dr Kenneth Anozie, made the appeal in a statement in Enugu on Wednesday.
Anozie noted that the outcome of the Edo governorship election showed the exercise was free, fair and credible, and urged INEC to replicate the same in Ondo State by ensuring the electorate chose their leaders without interference from any quarter.
He explained that fair and credible elections were human right issues, as declaring the loser a winner actually infringed on the rights of the citizens to determine who presided over their affairs.
Anozie, however, appealed to relevant authorities, including political parties and their candidates to conduct themselves with utmost civility, as well as play in accordance with the electoral laws to avoid attracting international sanctions after the elections.