As APC accuses opposition party of cloning PVCs, plot to rig run-off
By Daniel Kanu
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Tuesday demand the immediate resignation of the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, following what it described as “his controlling role in the fraudulent manipulations that characterized the September 22, 2018, Osun State Governorship election.”
In the same vein, the party also called for the resignation of Mrs. Amina Zakari, the INEC National Commissioner, Supervising Electoral Operations, who also superintends the “Information Communication Technology (ICT) Department, where election results were altered to favour the APC.”
Meanwhile, the ruling APC also on Tuesday accused the PDP of hatching plan to rig Thursday’s Osun State governorship rerun election, claiming that it received fresh reports of ongoing cloning of Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) by PDP agents.
But frowning at the alleged roles played by the INEC, PDP said because of the electoral umpire’s “fraudulent conduct in the Osun Governorship election, and approval that a concluded election be declared inconclusive, the PDP and indeed all well-meaning Nigerians no longer have confidence in Prof. Yakubu.”
“It is completely inexcusable that Prof. Yakubu presides over an atrocious and compromised electoral umpire that manipulates electoral processes, doctors figures, allocates fictitious votes and subverts the will of the people in an election.
“The PDP has additional documentary evidence of how this compromised INEC, through its Operations and ICT Department, doctored results from polling centers, directly shortchanged the PDP with no fewer than 4,387 votes by slashing votes cast for the PDP at the polling centers while allocating fictitious figures to the APC.
“The PDP has facts on how INEC slashed over 1000 votes freely cast by the people for our candidate, Senator Ademola Adeleke, in Ayedaade Local Government Area, just to reduce our votes from our legitimate 10,836 votes cast at the polling centers to 9,836 votes so as to give APC the lead with a 1000 vote margin in the local government.
“Also, the PDP has evidence of how INEC, while collating results, directly allocated over 1,367 fictitious votes to the APC in Olorunda Local Government Area, to fraudulently shore up the APC votes to duplicitous 16,254 votes. This is in addition to evidence of how INEC awarded over 2,000 fictitious votes in favour of the APC in Oshogbo to push APC’s vote to 23,379 against the actual 21,479 votes scored by the defeated party.
“Such writing of results by INEC in collusion with the APC occurred in many other areas leading to INEC’s ill-fated directives to its junior officials, including the one apprehended in Ayedaade, to destroy results already displayed at polling and collation centers.
“It was after INEC and the APC realized that despite their manipulation of figures, our candidate still scored the highest number of votes, making him the clear winner of the election, that they decided to fraudulently apply unconstitutional grounds to declare the election inconclusive.
“From the facts available to us, INEC robbed our party of over 4,387 votes. Our actual winning margin stands at 4,740 votes against the 353 votes declared by INEC.
“Furthermore, while the PDP, in rejecting INEC’s declaration, is resolute in the decision to seek legal redress and take our mandate, freely given to our candidate by the people of Osun State, our party has also discovered schemes perfected by INEC to rig its planned supplementary election in favour of the APC.
“The PDP is already aware that INEC has increased the original number of voters in the affected polling centers by over 850 so as to expand its latitude to manipulate results with uncollected Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs); a development, which further shows INEC’s determination to rig the election for APC.
“The PDP holds that the shenanigan that has characterized the Osun governorship election is a testing measure by the APC in collusion with INEC to rig the 2019 general elections, particularly the Presidential election, which they plan to plunge into similar controversy immediately it becomes obvious that APC is losing.
“Our fear is that such will push our nation into an irretrievable state of anarchy and spell doom to our democracy.
“While Prof. Mahmood Yakubu can no longer be trusted to conduct the 2019 general elections, it is public knowledge that Mrs. Amina Zakari, the INEC National Commissioner, Supervising Electoral Operations is a direct blood relation of Mr. President and as such, we believe that she cannot be an impartial arbiter in an election involving her uncle.
“The PDP therefore calls on all patriotic Nigerians to join in the demand for the resignation of Prof. Yakubu and Mrs. Zakari so as to avert this dangerous path, where INEC is leading our nation.
“As a law abiding and people-oriented political party, all that the PDP is demanding for is the return of our candidate, Senator Ademola Adeleke, as the duly returned candidate at the September 22, 2018 Osun Governorship Election.
“We call on INEC to guarantee free, fair and credible election at all levels of engagement, as we will not allow unpatriotic individuals to destroy our nation with their inordinate and selfish aspirations.”
But the APC countered PDP’s allegations, accusing the national chairman, Prince Uche Secondus, of lacking in decorum.
A statement by the party said: “The National Chairman of a political party is expected to exhibit the highest sense of patriotism, decency and decorum in public conduct and discourse. Regrettably, the National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Prince Uche Secondus has not lived up to these basic expectations.
“Weeks ago the PDP National Chairman took the internal matters of the country’s politics to the international scene by writing letters to various international organizations. Again, soon after the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared the Osun State Governorship Election inconclusive, Prince Secondus without basis accused the electoral body of conspiring with the All Progressives Congress (APC) to declare the election inconclusive.
“The APC would as a rule ignore irresponsible and baseless utterances and actions as exhibited by the PDP National Chairman, but as we prepare for the forthcoming 2019 General elections, it is necessary we give a word of caution on expected behavior required of all political sides. Prince Secondus is respectfully advised to temper his political language and conduct.
“His unfounded allegation on the inconclusive Osun State governorship election is not expected from such highly-placed party official. Accusing the APC of conspiring with INEC, without proof, is taking mudslinging too far.
“We advise Prince Secondus not to descend to the level unexpected of his office, less he enters the boxing ring with its attendant mud and dirt. His action will only bring him personal attacks, ridicule. A word is enough for the wise!”
The ruling party went ahead to accuse the opposition party of vote buying and cloning of PVCs.
A statement by the acting National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Yekini Nabena, also on Tuesday said:
“As a follow-up to our earlier statements on the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) plans to rig Thursday’s Osun State governorship rerun election, the All Progressives Congress (APC) has received fresh reports from our field agents on the ongoing cloning of Permanent Voters Cards (PVCs) by PDP agents.
“We view this development as bizarre and a sign of the desperation of the PDP to takeover Osun State by all illegal means.
“While we call on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to urgently investigate the development and promptly arrest persons behind the cloning, we strongly advise INEC to ensure that its voters register is not tampered with.
“Also, we call on INEC and security agencies to speak publicly on measures being taken to stop the ongoing vote buying by PDP agents which has become widespread in the State.
“We call for calm in the face of the already tense situation caused by the PDP’s now public rigging plot. The Osun electorate must remain alert and resist any plot to subvert the people’s will and manipulate the rerun election.
Commendably, the police already have in its custody a PDP stalwart who led other PDP leaders to buy up voter cards ahead of Thursday’s governorship rerun. There however remains much to be done to ensure the credibility of the forthcoming rerun election.
