A former vice president of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Issa Aremu, has called for the postponement of the governorship elections in Edo and Ondo States.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had set September 19 to conduct the election in Edo and October 10 for the poll in Ondo.
Addressing reporters on Sunday in Kaduna, Aremu believes conducting the elections in the face of rising cases of coronavirus (COVID-19) cases will put the lives of millions of voters at risk.
He alleged that the basic COVID-19 protocols, including social distancing, were violated during the recent primary elections conducted by various political parties in Edo State.
Aremu warned that the electorate must not be exposed to the dangers of COVID-19 during elections and advised INEC to reconsider its timetable and see how it can reschedule the two polls.
According to him, since the primary objective of governance is to protect the lives and property of the citizens, it is incumbent on INEC to consider the inherent danger of conducting elections while the COVID-19 pandemic is fast spreading in the country.
