The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Osun state on Tuesday said it has uncovered covert plans by the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC) to scuttle the conduct of free and fair polls come July 8, Osun West Senatorial district bye-election.
Briefing journalists at the party’s secretariat in Osogbo, the chairman of the party, Hon. Soji Adagunodo alleged that the Rauf Aregbesola led government has set evil machinations in motion for the purpose of manipulating the exercise, and win at all cost.
Adagunodo who said that there is need to let the world know about the plans of APC explained that the party gathered from several dependable sources from within and outside government some ‘undemocratic, obnoxious and illegal plans of the APC’.
According to him, in the last one week, he alleged that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has been under immense pressure by the APC leadership to shift the date of the bye-election for between two and three weeks.
The PDP chairman, however, wondered why INEC will shift the election now when at a meeting with all political parties in the state, 22 parties including PDP suggested July 22, 2018 for the by-election and only APC and one other party suggested July 8 and INEC agreed to July 8 as being suitable for the commission.
Adagunodo further alleged that APC plans to compromise certain officials of INEC to supply inadequate number of ballot papers to many polling units identified as strongholds of the PDP in eight local governments in the senatorial district.
He also alleged that the APC had concluded plans to distort the allocation of ballot papers in such a manner that those meant for specific local governments, wards and poling units are diverted to wrong locations so as to delay the commencement of voting and disenfranchise many.
Also, the PDP chairman alleged that some chieftains of APC to have “procured the service of notorious thugs from within and outside the state to unleash violence in Ede North, Ede south, Egbedore, Irewole, Iwo and Ayedaade local governments on election day.
“The APC election strategy committee is conniving with certain element in the INEC to recruit OYES cadets and other party sympathisers as presiding officers and polling clerks. Part of the plans is to provide fake NYSC uniform and distribute same to these elements in order to make them carry out this nefarious plan.
“There are plans by the APC to ensure that INEC allocate non-functioning card readers to area considered as stronghold of PDP. This, in their thinking, would slow down accreditation of voters and get voters discouraged.
“We have credible information about the plans of APC and the state government to arrange the kidnap and or arrest of leaders of the PDP in certain local governments on the eve of July 8th bye-election.
“As we speak, certain chieftains of APC have compiled names of their party members and sympathisers to be accredited by INEC as election observers and monitors.
“You will recall 181 of these same elements from Osun State were arrested somewhere in Imo State in 2013, while traveling as fake observers for the Anambra governorship election”, he alleged.
Specifically, Adagunodo alleged that the APC candidate in the election, Senator Mudashir Hussein has concluded plans to bring thousands of non-residents fake voters from Abidjan, Cotonou, Togo and Ghana as voters, the process which he alleged would commence this week adding that a sum of N150m has been set apart for this purpose.
He, however, noted that if the PDP led federal government then muzzles opposition and did not allow people’s vote to count, the APC could not have won an election and formed a government.
He vowed that his party and supporters in the 10 local governments in Osun West senatorial district will not allow anyone no matter how highly placed to subvert the freewill of the electorate and thwart the successful conduct of the forthcoming election.
Adagunodo who said that his party is three steps ahead of APC added that the 10 local governments are determined to ensure that rigging is made impossible.
Packaged by Bunmi Oladejo
