\nThe Department of State Security, DSS, has arrested a chieftain of the All
\nProgressive Congress, APC, and owner of ACT Technologies, Alhaji Sani
\nMusa, believed to have supplied the PVC and Card Readers machines to the
\nIndependent National Electoral Commission, INEC.<\/p>\n
Sani, according to sources is believed to have supplied codes to the Card
\nReaders to the APC for the purpose of rigging the Presidential and
\nGovernorship elections in favor of the APC.<\/p>\n
But the APC in a Press statement signed by its Spokesman, Alhaji Lai
\nMohammed said the Party does not subscribe to rigging, as the allegations
\nare \u201cpreposterous<\/p>\n
The statement reads:<\/p>\n
Good afternoon gentlemen and thank you, once again, for honouring our
\ninvitation, despite the short notice.
\nWith the elections just two days away, we are very concerned by the
\nincreasingly-desperate plan by the ruling PDP to rig the elections at all
\ncosts as well as the growing cases of harassment and intimidation of our
\nmembers across the country by PDP officials and candidates, using the
\nsecurity agencies, which are supposed to be non-partisan and professional<\/p>\n
RIGGING PLAN
\nOut of the desperation to win the elections at all costs, the PDP has
\nperfected a number of strategies to rig the elections, especially in the
\nNorth and in the South-west.<\/p>\n
In one last desperate move, one Alhaji Sani Musa, the owner of ACT
\nTechnologies, the company that supplied the PVCs and the Card Readers, has
\nbeen arrested and detained by DSS officials since Tuesday. Perhaps, the
\nagents of the ruling party believe he may have the codes for the Card
\nReaders, which is preposterous. Alhaji Musa has also been accused of
\ncolluding with the APC to rig the elections, which is totally false
\nbecause we at the APC do not subscribe to rigging under any guise.
\nAnother strategy is to deploy bandits in uniform to polling units to
\ndisperse voters by force, after voter accreditation must have been
\ncompleted using the Card Reader. While that is going on, armed police and
\nsoldiers will then come in, ostensibly to chase away the bandits and
\nevacuate INEC officials and voting materials. After evacuating them to
\n\u2018safety\u2019, they will then coerce the electoral officials to allow them,
\nsecurity agents that is, to cast all the ballots in the particular unit.<\/p>\n
This strategy, to be used mostly in the PDP controlled states in the North
\nand the South-East, will be repeated in many polling units in many states,
\nbecause for each state and polling units, there is a calculated percentage
\nwhich the PDP must win<\/p>\n
Yet another strategy, this time for APC controlled states, involves the
\nuse of carrot and stick against APC agents. The carrot involves seeking to
\nbuythe agents over with mouth-watering sums of money. If this fails,
\nsecurity agents and PDP thugs will simply disrupt the voting and destroy
\nelection materials.<\/p>\n
Recall, gentlemen, that we have earlier raised the alarm about police and
\nmilitary uniforms being sewn in some South-west states, for the use of
\ntrained PDP thugs. The strategy we have outlined is the reason they have
\nengaged in the uniform sewing venture.<\/p>\n
There is also a worrisome development in the Federal Capital Territory. In
\nat least three locations around the FCT, Jere along airport road, Karu
\ntowards Nasarawa and Kubwa road, security agents have mounted road blocks
\nand are stopping North-bound travellers supposedly for a routine search.
\nBut the real reason is to collect PVCs from passengers who have theirs on
\nthem. Those who refuse to surrender theirs are being molested. This runs
\nagainst the pledge by the government to ensure free, fair, credible and
\nviolence-free elections.<\/p>\n
Finally, while at least three courts have ruled against the deployment of
\ntroops for election purposes, we have it on good authority that these
\nrulings will be circumvented by deploying the troops but clothing them in
\nDSS outfits. They will be deployed mostly to the South-west, with strict
\ninstructions to capture all states in the region, except Osun State.<\/p>\n
We are therefore calling for vigilance by our members and supporters in
\nthe region to expose all those who will sabotage the elections.
\nPlan to Engage in Bombing Spree In Opposition Strongholds
\nPlans are afoot to carry out a bombing spree in the major towns and cities
\nin APC-controlled states of Rivers, Lagos, Kano, Imo and Edo, with a view
\nto scaring away voters from the polling units. Ekiti and Ondo have also
\nbeen earmarked for Card Reader disruption. We are therefore using this
\nmedium to alert the general public and the international community to
\nthese evil machinations.<\/p>\n
Harassment and Intimidation of Our members Nationwide
\nGentlemen, as we speak, our members and supporters across the country are
\nbeing harassed and intimidated across the country, using the security
\nagencies, especially the police.
\nSokoto State<\/p>\n
Our members and supporters in Sokoto State are under siege from the PDP,
\nusing security agencies.<\/p>\n
Former Sokoto State Governor Attahiru Barafawa has openly threatened to
\ntake the state by force.<\/p>\n
Here is what he said, as quoted by today\u2019s Daily Trust: \u201cThey said we are
\nplanning to rig the elections in the state; I don\u2019t know why they are
\nafraid of rigging when they know too well that they are products of the
\nsame mechanism. Let me tell them that we will use force, rigging and our
\nballot papers to send them away.\u201d<\/p>\n
With this open threat about rigging and the use of force, is anyone still
\nin doubt about the plan by the PDP to disrupt the elections in Sokoto
\nState? We asked all election monitors and observers to take note of
\nBarafawa\u2019s open threat.
\nOndo State<\/p>\n
The police and PDP thugs in Ondo State, acting under instructions from Gov
\nOlusegun Mimiko, have laid a siege on the opposition in the state.
\nOn Tuesday, Hon. Eniolorunda Omosule, a serving members of the House of
\nRepresentatives, representing Owo\/Ose Federal Constituency, was arrested
\nand detained by the police for no reason other than to keep him away until
\nafter elections.<\/p>\n
APC members who were staging a peaceful walk at Ukparamu Ward 1, Bolowo
\ncommunity of Ese-Odo Local Government Area, were attacked with machetes
\nand brutalised by PDP thugs, sponsored by the Special Adviser to the
\nPresident on Niger Delta, Mr. Kingsley Kuku, with full police and army
\nprotection.<\/p>\n
We are calling on the security chiefs to stop these harassment and
\nintimidation and to call their men to order, before things degenerate into
\na free-for-all.
\nImo State<\/p>\n
In Imo State, an aide of Hon. Emeka Ihedioha, who is contesting the
\ngovernorship election on the platform of the PDP, sent more than 30 armed
\nmobile policemen to invade the homes of some APC youth members in his ward
\nat Mbutu in Aboh Mbaise Local Government Area. The policemen fired
\nindiscriminately, smashed doors and windows and arrested some of the
\nyouths, who were detained at the Uvuru Police Station and later moved to
\nthe police headquarters in Owerri.<\/p>\n
URGENT: And we have also just been told that all Commissioners of Police
\nin the South-west were yesterday invited to a secret meeting in Ibadan,
\nwhere they received a Presidential bribe delivered in bullion vans as
\nincentives for them to scuttle the elections in the region by acts of
\nintimidation, unlawful arrests, and turning a blind eye to all
\nirregularities and illegality that the PDP may perpetrate during
\nSaturday\u2019s elections. The Minister of Police Affairs, Abduljelili
\nAdesiyan, one of the star actors in Ekitigate, also attended the meeting<\/p>\n
BREAKING NEWS: We have this breaking news that all serving military
\npersonnel and their wives, as well as everyone residing in the barracks
\nacross the country, who are eligible to vote, will NOT be allowed to
\nexercise their franchise on Saturday. We do not know the reason behind
\nthis, but it runs against the grain of international best practices in
\nelections. For elections anywhere to be credible, they must be free, fair
\nand peaceful,.and all Nigerians who are eligible to vote must be able to
\ndo so, without fear or intimidation.<\/p>\n
CONCLUSION<\/p>\n
Gentlemen, all that we have enumerated above are just a few instances of
\nwhat is happening across the country, with less 48 hours to Saturday\u2019s
\nelections.<\/p>\n
These things are happening despite the assurances by the Jonathan
\nAdministration, given even as late as yesterday, to ensure a free, fair,
\ntransparent and peaceful elections. They are also happening despite the
\npledge by the Inspector-General of Police and the Service Chiefs to
\nprovide security for the elections.<\/p>\n
We are seriously concerned because it seems the PDP-led Jonathan
\ngovernment has decided to anchor their rigging plans on the use of
\nsecurity agencies, which are institutions of state that should not only be
\nfair and neutral, but protect all Nigerians, irrespective of their party
\naffiliations.<\/p>\n
The reason this is happening is because no One has yet been held to
\naccount for Ekitigate, where security personnel, including policemen,
\nsoldiers, DSS and Civil Defence agents \u2013 all of whom we have their names,
\nservice numbers and telephone numbers \u2013 were wantonly used to rig the June
\n21st governorship elections.<\/p>\n
We sincerely hope that, in spite of their oath of office, the security
\nchiefs have not jettisoned every appearance of impartiality ahead of
\nSaturday\u2019s election. We<\/p>\n
We hope that as Commanders of Men and Material, they would bear FAITHFUL
\nALLEGIANCE to the OATH they took as Officers of the Federal Republic of
\nNigeria. We also believe that they will ensure the same for all those
\nunder their Command.<\/p>\n
Again, we call on all Nigerians in general and our members and supporters
\nin particular to be extra vigilant before, during and after the elections,
\nwhile eschewing violence and refusing to be provoked at all times.
\nWe also called on all election observers and monitors, both local and
\nforeign, to take a special interest in the role of the security agencies
\nduring the elections, in view of the various instances we have cited
\nabove.
\nGentlemen, I thank you for your time<\/p>\n
Alhaji Lai Mohammed
National Publicity Secretary
All
\nProgressives Congress (APC)
Lagos, March 26th 2015<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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