Ahead of the June 18, 2022 gubernatorial election in Ekiti State, the Social Democratic Party (SDP) and its candidate, Chief Segun Oni has alleged that some politicians in the state are preventing people from registering for their Permanent Voters’ Cards (PVCs) in the ongoing continuous voters registration exercise.
The publicity secretary of SDP in the state, Gani Salau in a statement on Friday noted that some politicians in the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) are moving across the 177 wards stopping and intimidating opponents especially SDP members from taking part in the exercise.
Salau who described the activities of the politicians as undemocratic and signs of jittery over the soaring acceptability of the former governor and its candidate, called on the Independent National Electoral Commission to stop what he described as a fraudulent act.
He equally alleged that the ruling party was mobilising people from neighboring states to register in the state ahead of the election.
According to him, “The executive officers of APC in Ado Ekiti local council right at the INEC office along new Iyin road on Thursday were preventing eligible electorates from registration because they refused to wear APC gubernatorial candidate’s cap.
“They were intimidating and chasing away SDP members with dangerous weapons, preventing them from the voters registration exercise. The SDP in Ekiti State views this ongoing situation as undemocratic and barbaric which falls short of democratic tenets.
“The SDP in Ekiti State expects INEC to remain an independent umpire rather than aiding and encouraging APC and its candidate through some of its officials to engage in undemocratic and fraudulent act unchecked , unrestrained right here in INEC Office. We have our evidence to prove this.”
However, the Public Relations Officer of INEC in Ekiti State, Morake Odebunmi denied the allegations of the SDP, saying the commission was committed to registering all eligible voters in the state without any form of discrimination.
Odebunmi explained that officials of INEC across the 177 political wards conducting the CVR exercise are friendly to potential voters, calling on the people to disregard the allegation and go for their registration so as to vote during the election.
She said, “Registration is for everybody and those people they are mentioning are only mobilizing for registration. Everybody is allow to register and we don’t know any party or group. People should go to their wards and register without any form of harassment.
“We are not doing any sentiment in the CVR registration. So, INEC is not biased and we are not stopping people from registering. The allegation should be disregarded.”
Credit: tribuneonlineng.com
