TELL Magazine

Candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in the September 19 governorship election in Edo State, Osagie Ize-Iyamu, has given his word that his party would not run foul of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC’s regulations on the conduct of ongoing campaigns ahead of the governorship polls. In a statement on Saturday, John Mayaki, the director of communication and media of his campaign organization said the APC was not oblivious of the extant regulations on the rules of campaigns within the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The statement read: “We are well aware that INEC has provided a policy framework for all political parties with clear provisions on how to conduct campaigns without compromising the health of the electorate or jeopardizing the efforts to stop the spread of the coronavirus disease.

“As a responsible political party and candidate, the All Progressives Congress, and Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu and Mallam Gani Audu have carefully studied the regulations and are strictly complying with them. Our campaigns are domesticated and carried out at the grassroots in safe cells to prevent dangerous gatherings and inter-communal movements. We have also adapted all our campaign processes for the electronic media, specifically the internet. We disseminate information to our campaign staff via safe online platforms and we also fully utilize all available opportunities to engage and interact with Edo people through popular social media platforms.

“An example is the daily streaming of a concise analysis of the POI/GANI SIMPLE agenda that we just launched across the socials of our candidate. He will be participating himself and taking feedbacks directly from the people. It is the first of its kind and it demonstrates our innovative ability to safely navigate the times and readiness to comply with all health and safety regulations, while making our campaigns strictly issued- based”.