From Moshood Karim
In the run-up to the highly anticipated Edo gubernatorial election scheduled for September 21st, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in the state has sounded a note of caution, alleging a clandestine plot by the All Progressives Congress (APC) to manipulate the electoral process.
At a press conference held on Friday in Benin City, Tony Aziegbemi, the State Chairman of the PDP, made startling revelations that have sparked widespread concern among stakeholders and the electorate.
Aziegbemi, flanked by party officials and addressing journalists, disclosed that the PDP possesses credible intelligence suggesting that the APC has devised a scheme to deploy counterfeit Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) personnel during the upcoming polls.
According to him, these purported fake INEC staff members would masquerade as technical personnel tasked with manipulating the Biometric Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) machines on election day.
The alleged aim of this clandestine operation, as outlined by Aziegbemi, is to artificially inflate the number of accredited voters, thereby tipping the electoral scales in favor of the APC.
“We wish to draw the attention of INEC and the good people of Edo State to the sinister plan of the APC, which has been uncovered by our intelligence unit,” Aziegbemi asserted during the press briefing.
“APC has perfected a plan to use fake INEC staff posing as technical personnel to tamper with the BVAS machines on the day of the election to manipulate the number of accredited voters.”
The PDP chairman further expressed concern over what he described as the APC’s failure to meet crucial requirements related to the submission of names of political agents for the election.
He alleged that the APC fell short in 3,037 polling units and in 17 local government areas, significantly limiting their official presence in critical electoral processes.
“A party that cannot upload its polling unit agents in two-thirds of the polling units cannot be trusted with power in our state,” Aziegbemi declared emphatically.
He called on INEC to ensure transparency by promptly publishing the names and photographs of all appointed RTECs for the guber election, along with their designated postings.
Meanwhile, efforts to reach APC officials for comments on these accusations were unsuccessful as of the time of filing this report.
Get a premium automobile insurance coverage for your vehicle for as low as #15000 only and claim up to #3,000,000 in damages @Zenith Insurance To signup: WhatsApp/Call: +2349028313757
