Yoruba Youths Warn PDP, ADC Against Baseless Claims on INEC Registration
By Austine Agbo Emmanuel, Kaduna
The Yoruba Youth Council (YYC), an umbrella body of Yoruba youths across the country, has cautioned political actors against making allegations that could discredit the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) or create unnecessary tension ahead of the forthcoming governorship election in Osun State.
The warning came in a statement issued at the weekend by YYC spokesman, Saheed Adeola, quoting the National President of the Council, Comrade Eric.
YYC particularly faulted the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the African Democratic Congress (ADC) over their criticism of the pre-registration figures recently released by INEC. The opposition parties had alleged fraud after Osun State emerged with the highest number of 393,269 pre-registrations in the nationwide exercise.
INEC, however, through a statement by the Chief Press Secretary to its Chairman, Rotimi Oyekanmi, dismissed the allegations, insisting that the data were consistent with records from its 2021 online registration exercise.
Backing the Commission’s position, YYC described the alarm raised by the PDP and ADC as unnecessary, noting that Osun had recorded similar high turnout in previous registration cycles.
“The figures for Osun State are not unusual. In the 2022 governorship election, PDP defeated the APC in Osun. It is therefore surprising that the same PDP is now questioning the registration statistics,” the YYC said.
The Council further pointed out that Osun recorded 232,880 registrants in the 2021 exercise, a figure it said aligned with the current 2025 data.
“Even at that, INEC will still clean up the data and publish the register for claims and objections before finalising the exercise. There is no cause for alarm,” the group stressed.
The YYC also accused the opposition of selective criticism, noting that while they questioned Osun’s numbers, they ignored figures recorded in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
“Rather than raise an unnecessary alarm that amounts to a storm in a teacup, the PDP and ADC should channel their energy towards mobilising Nigerians to register during the Continuous Voter Registration exercise, instead of heating up the polity unnecessarily,” the statement added.
