How INEC Barred PDP Representatives From Witnessing The Arrival Of Sensitive Election Materials, Accused Of Planning To Rig For APC

Yakubu Busari

The Independent Electoral commission, INEC, Plateau State has been accused by the  People Democratic Party, PDP,  of playing vital role in the process of rigging of the governorship poll for the APC at the collection center by allowing the APC agents to witness sensitive materials arrival.

A group of concerned PDP youths accused INEC of colluding with APC to rig the forthcoming Governorship and House of Assembly elections in Plateau State.

Spokesman of the Plateau Youth  Mr Victor Davou in a statement made available to Journalists on Wednesday decries the exclusion of PDP representatives from witnessing the arrival of sensitive election materials which were said to have been delivered to CBN Jos  office within the week.

“We also have available information that the APC government is planning to replace the Branch Controller of the Jos Central Bank with his deputy, with a clear intention to achieve their objectives

Part of the Press Statement reads:

“Clause 6(a) of the regulations and guidelines for the conduct of 2019 elections entitles political parties to have polling agents and representatives at each point of polling units and collation centre as well as each point of distribution of electoral materials in the constituency where the party is sponsoring candidates for an election.

“Applying this provision , representatives of all political parties on the Plateau through IPAC were present when sensitive Materials were received at the CBN Jos office and subsequently distributed to the LGAs for the presidential and National Assembly elections held on the 23rd February, 2019”.

“Shockingly however, no political party other than APC was informed of the delivery of sensitive materials to the CBN Jos office on 4th march, 2019 for the governorship and State House of Assembly elections coming up on 9th March, 2019. Accordingly, only the APC and its representative witness the delivery of the sensitive Materials . This coupled with the reports of massive thumbprinting of ballot papers and compromising of card readers for the election at government house as well as escape of original result sheets into wrong hands gravely affects the  polls slated for 9th March 2019.

“The concern PDP youths are also aware of efforts to arrest the Branch Controller of the CBN , Jos office Using operatives of the DSS on the flimsy ground of his alleged refusal to cooperate with Governor Simon Lalong prior to the Presidential and National Assembly elections by allowing him access to sensitive materials warehoused at the CBN prior to distribution to the LGAs

” The arrest and removal of the Branch Controller is to pave way for his immediate subordinate a known APC supporter to assume the reigns , so that Governor Lalong would receive the illicit cooperation he desires of necessary sensitive Materials for the 9th March 2019 Governorship and state assembly elections as well as the rerun elections in some units across the state.

We wish to strongly advise those who are either planning to rig the forthcoming elections or cause problems during the elections to desist from such as we, the concerned plateau PDP youths are determined to vote and also protect our votes because our votes must be counted and they must count.

We wish plateau state a peaceful, rigging and crisis free elections come Saturday march 9th 2019