By Ozioruva Aliu
LESS than two weeks to Edo State governorship election, the All Progressives Congress, APC, has accused the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and Governor Godwin Obaseki of attempting to smuggle the names of its supporters as agents of some political parties’ agents to the Independent National Electoral Commission,INEC..
A statement by the Chairman, Edo State APC Media Campaign Council, John Mayaki alleged that the list was doctored by the Government House for some parties he alleged have been stooges of the governor and the PDP.
Mayaki identified the parties as Allied Peoples Movement, APM, Action Democratic Party, ADP, National Rescue Movement, NRM, and Labour Party, LP.
However, the state chairman of APM, Charles Ugiagbe, denied the allegation saying: “I don’t know what you are talking about, I am not aware of that for now. We have submitted the list of our agents to INEC.”
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On his part, the State Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Chris Nehikhare who also denied the allegation, said: “It is one of their baseless allegation as usual. We are talking about them bribing a national INEC commissioner to fill the name of agents with APC names, they are now talking of PDP doing same, it is a baseless allegation.
“Whenever we accuse the APC, they come up with all sorts of stories. You are aware a few days ago, we actually complained that an INEC officer who is from Edo has turned himself to be the one that will appoint EOs and polling officers with APC. So, there is no truth in this allegation. It is APC that is trying to stain INEC.”
Mayaki said “whatever Obaseki hopes to achieve with his concert of losers is not clear,” and called on INEC to be alert to any election rigging mischief.
“Just two weeks to go, you could see the confusion in the Obaseki camp. It is getting clear to them they will be thrashed on Election Day. So, it is electoral mischief galore. How do you explain trying to smuggle in agents’ names when the exercise has closed?”
