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Akinwande Soji-Ojo
The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Oyo State has alerted its supporters, electorate, local and international observers to be vigilant, alleging that the State Police Command has come under undue pressure from Governor Seyi Makinde.
The opposition party, in a statement by its Publicity Secretary, Olawale Sadare, noted that the Police Commissioner, Adebowale Williams, had at several fora in the past few days assured the people of the state and the political parties of his impartiality before, during and after the elections.
Sadare said the police boss as a man of impeccable character must not allow the governor to compromise his hard-earned reputation.
He appealed to the police to warn its rank and file against being used to subvert the wish of residents of the state, who he said are already “tired of the maladministration of the PDP government.”
Sadare stated that the governor was ready to compromise anybody in his “desperation to secure the elusive second term ambition in office.”
“Makinde is desperate and hellbent on disrupting peaceful conduct of Saturday’s election, if his ambition does not materialise,” he said.
The APC spokesperson therefore appealed to the party’s supporters and the good people of the state including local and foreign observers to beam their searchlights on the activities of security agencies during Saturday’s governorship election.
Meanwhile, Oyo APC, on Wednesday, raised an alarm over alleged plans of the ruling PDP and Makinde to massively rig Saturday’s election using the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), political thugs coordinated by a “notorious ex-convict, Mr. Mukaila Lamidi (Auxilary),” and security agents.
The party, therefore, warned the governor to stop his desperation and allow the will of God and the power of the electorate to hold sway on Saturday, adding that the Makinde and his party would be held responsible for any breakdown of law and order.
Part of the plans, according to APC, is that “where APC has majority, ballot papers be insufficient and officials of INEC would get there late, and make voting to commence hours after scheduled time with a view of using the cover of darkness to unleash mayhem on the hapless citizens and voters in those areas.”
“On the other hand, where PDP has the majority, election will commence early, ballot papers will be more than sufficient and five or six ballot papers will be issued to one prospective voter at such polling unit.
“To further prepare ground for their rigging plans, one of the Governor’s top aide had last week assembled voters from Sabo, in Ibadan North Local Government Area and collected their voter’s cards and gave them money in return.
“He did same thing for hundreds of other unsuspecting voters. He gave them monies in return for their voter’s cards that were screened at a place in Ikolaba area of the city.
“Some ICT-savvy youths were lodged at the government house about a week ago and were camped there to compromise INEC’s efforts during the collation of results after voting exercise.
“Political thugs known as Auxilliary boys and Amotekun have been mobilised to disrupt the election in the areas where the APC is believed to be more popular and likely to win.
“Towards the end of the polls, Auxilliary boys will disrupt the elections in areas where PDP has majority, carry ballot boxes with ballot papers to fill same for the PDP.
“Auxilliary boys/Amotekun corps will be used to force people at polling units to vote for Seyi Makinde (PDP), otherwise they will not be allowed to move near the polling units, hence they won’t vote.
“Example of this negative development was reported in Alakia-Adegbayi area of Egbeda Local Government where Auxiliary was reported to be terrorising the people of the area for their refusal to vote for the PDP in the Presidential and National Assembly election.
“Contrary to INEC guidelines, the plan is to ask party agents to move far away from the presiding officers’ table so that all atrocities can be easily committed.
“A former INEC chief who posted the EOs initially to the various LGAs is still firmly in control of them and still giving them instructions on behalf of Seyi Makinde on what to do and how do it.
“And they are already bonded and mobilised to work for Makinde.
“The APC is demanding immediate swap of the EOs in Oyo State with that of Ekiti or elsewhere from the South West where the REC had been seen to be largely neutral in conduct and deeds by Thursday.
“The EOs in Oyo State as presently constituted were already compromised during the last presidential election; PDP gave each EO $5,000 and a plot of land each in GRA, using different names for the issuance of the offer letters.
“For the coming election, they want to compromise them with $10,000 each. Meanwhile the last REC, now in Osun, is still issuing instructions to the EOs he posted there initially before he was posted to Osun.
“There is an urgent need to swap the EOs within the various LGs in Oyo State, to ensure this election is free, fair and credible,” the party said.