By Funso Alarape
Monday April 22, 2024
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As voters in Oyo State warm up to exercise their franchise in the local government election slated for Saturday April 27,2024, the state chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has raised the alarm over an alleged fresh plot by the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to compromise the electoral process and manipulate results in favor of its candidates as against the expectations of many.
The Oyo State Independent Electoral Commission (OYSIEC) had indicated its readiness to conclude all arrangements for the emergence (through the ballots) of a new set of elected officials into the 33 local government councils with the conduct of election for the candidates of all registered political parties this Saturday and all cards appear to be on deck for the exercise.
But in a statement issued on Monday and made available to journalists in Ibadan by its Publicity Secretary, Olawale Sadare, Oyo APC berated the ruling PDP and “some individuals with vested interest over their refusal to learn democratic culture and decency, as they live in the past where force, intimidation and fraudulent practices determined winners of elections.”
APC said: “Political watchers and patriots in the society are worried about the shameless conduct of most PDP elements in the state who move around to boast about the plans of their leaders and powers-that-be in the state to write results, rather than allow votes to count in Saturday council election.
“This set of anti-democratic elements tell whoever cares to listen that they own OYSIEC and that nobody, including security agents, journalists, and accredited observers, could stop them from declaring PDP candidates as winners in any of the wards and local governments.
“For the avoidance of doubt, we have uncovered some fresh plots by a cartel of desperados in the Agodi Government House to rig the poll in favor of the PDP.
“This, according to an impeccable source, would afford Governor Seyi Makinde the opportunity of sustaining his hold on the PDP ahead of the 2027 general elections.
“One of the plots is to influence most of the Electoral Officers in all the 33 local government areas to work with voter registers which have been doctored in such a way that most voters perceived to be either independent-minded or APC supporters would not find their names on Saturday and, thereby, get disenfranchised.
“Also, we have it on good authority that some characters recruited from the Park Management System (PMS) are to be deployed to each polling unit where they would aid vote-buying and intimidate voters and agents of the opposition parties at the same time.
“Moreover, many PDP members have been forced on OYSIEC as Ward Collation Officers and the task given to them is to frustrate seamless collation of results in most of the 351 wards to pave the way for the submission of fake results already prepared in favor of the ruling party’s candidates.
“As it stands now, all eyes are on our dear state; and Governor Makinde cannot afford to renege on his promise to deliver free, fair, and credible poll this time round.
“Another fact to consider is that any attempt to prevent the good people of the state from voting their conscience and rescue the third tier of government from total collapse this Saturday would not augur well for democracy in the country.
“Therefore, we appeal to all stakeholders, particularly OYSIEC and security agents, to be alive to their responsibility before, during, and after the Saturday poll, since it means so much to the entire citizenry.”
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