YPP asks agencies, others to investigate alleged ‘electoral misdemeanour’ in A’Ibom
Ini Billie, Uyo
The Young Progressives Party (YPP) has urged security agencies and International Observers to investigate an alleged ‘electoral misdemeanour’ in Akwa Ibom State ahead of the February/March general elections.
State Chairman of the party, Apostle Nyeneime Andy alleged on Friday in Uyo that agents of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) were colluding with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to buy Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) from unsuspecting members of the public.
In a press conference on the issue, Andy invited the Nigerian Police, the Department of State Services (DSS), the Directorate of Defence Intelligence (DDI) to look into the purchase of PVCs to rig the elections.
He claimed that INEC in the state discarded the names of those who applied in the online recruitment of ad hoc staff and used the list directly sent by the state government which according to him were names of beneficiaries of Governor Udom Emmanuel’s Entrepreneurship Ibom 3000 project.
He decried the affinity between INEC’s Head of ICT whom he claimed is currently working with the agents of Governor Udom Emmanuel’s administration and the PDP.
The chairman listed the alleged activities in the state to include: Purchase of PVCs from unsuspecting members of the public across the 31 LGAs, Obtaining of VIN numbers from voters across all the 4,354 polling units in state; Relocation of INEC to apartments of the State Government in the guise of renovations.
Others are PDP buses ferrying INEC’s officials for the distribution of PVCs throughout the state, and the State Government’s ICT experts hobnobbing with some officials of the State INEC.
“We call on the Police, the Department of State Services (DSS), the Directorate of Defence Intelligence (DMI), the International Observers and the Embassies in Nigeria to take a curious interest in the unfolding electoral misdemeanours in Akwa Ibom State. We insist that this should be thoroughly investigated so as to bring the perpetrators to book.
“Accordingly, it becomes very expedient for the State Resident Electoral Commissioner of INEC to tell us and other political parties, nay the public, why these undemocratic and reprehensible underhand deals are happening right before his eyes without any punitive action or prosecution whatsoever.
“If INEC in Akwa Ibom State goes into this kind of open collusion to rig the forthcoming elections, then the exercise cannot be called election but imposition. It is certainly not INEC with all the repeated assurances of its National Chairman, Prof Mahmood Yakubu, of free and fair elections that should be involved in these evil plots against the electorate of Akwa Ibom State, who earnestly desire to freely choose who they want as their governor on March 11, 2023, as well as other candidates,” he stated.
The chairman urged INEC to come out clean in order to earn the trust and confidence of the participating political parties, the electorate, the security agencies and the global community in general in the forthcoming elections.
When the Public Affairs Officer of INEC, Ekom Umoh was contacted, he dismissed the allegations saying they were unfounded.
Umoh challenged YPP to come up with evidence as the Commission was willing to investigate, arrest and prosecute anyone found culpable.
“All these allegations are false. If they have evidence, let them bring it, and we will investigate,” he said.
