…alleges APC, INEC’s complicity
Less than a week to the rescheduled governorship election in Edo state,
the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Reform Group has raised the alarm over
a grand plan by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to
use compromised ballot papers to rig the poll in favour of the All
Progressives Congress (APC).
Convener of the Group, Mr Ariyo-Dare Atoye, who raised the alarm yesterday
in Abuja, alleged the complicity of the Edo State chapter of the APC and
the INEC in the “despicable plot to subvert the will of the people through
criminal manipulation of the ballot papers, which the electoral body plans
to deploy for the election.”
According to Atoye, “We have just received credible information from the
grapevine that the INEC has been fully compromised by the APC and Governor
Adams Oshiomhole in their desperate bid to rig the September 28, 2016
governorship election.
“Their modus operandi is to use special ballot papers that will make the
spot of the PDP where voters are to thumbprint slippery and difficult to
absorb ink, with the possibility of the ink staining beyond the mark line
to void the PDP votes.
“The entire agenda is to invalidate a substantial number of the votes that
will be cast for the PDP in the election so that the APC, which is already
afraid of imminent defeat, will be able to have an edge in terms of
popular votes.”
He said that the real reason behind the postponement of the election,
earlier scheduled for September 10, 2016, was an intelligence report at
the disposal of the APC and Governor Oshiomhole indicating a crushing
defeat of their candidate, Mr Godwin Obaseki, in the election and not the
planned attacks by extremist militant groups as claimed in the security
advice by the Police and the Department of State Services (DSS) to the
INEC.
He stated that the group “is urging the international community, local and
foreign observers as well as all other stakeholders in the electoral
process to prevail on the INEC to come clean by responding to our
expression of concern in order to inspire our confidence again in its
ability to conduct a credible, free and fair election, which will be
acceptable to Edo electorate and Nigerians.”