Yinka Kolawole in Osogbo
The Osun State Chapter of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) has disagreed with the claims by the All Progressives Congress (APC) that it made attempt to compromise the state’s governorship election’s result. That was held on July 16.
The PDP, in a statement issued and signed by its Caretaker Committee Chairman, Dr. Akindele Adekunle, said that the allegation by the Osun State Chairman of APC, Mr. Famodun, has proved that the ruling party and its legal team have hacked into the sever of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Adekunle said: “Our attention has been called to a deceitful statement from the state chairman of the APC alleging attempt to falsify electoral results from the July 16th elections. By this false alarm, Mr. Famodun has inadvertently confirmed social media rumours that the APC and its legal team have hacked the server of the electoral commissions.
“We read so many social media posts in the last 48 hours about APC having doctored election results and procured fake electoral reports from the national headquarters of the electoral commission to provide basis for its election petition.
“We read of how the commission leadership detected the attempted fraud and nipped it in the bud by the reality of primary source data from the BIFAS machine. We had ignored such rumours as we were convinced that the sanctity of the voting data cannot be compromised.
“We equally have undiluted faith in the leadership of the commission under Professor Mahmud Yakubu that no criminal minded personnel will be allowed to tarnish the new image of the electoral body. What is more, we are confident that the publicly announced results with signed forms by party agents and primary data in the BIFAS machines are sufficient proof of PDP’s victory at the election. The social media posts of hacking of INEC server was thus discountenanced by us as largely impossible under a rebranded INEC.
“The statement from Mr. Famodun on Wednesday night, however, changed the dynamics. We take the fake allegations against PDP as a grand plot to justify the illegality already embarked upon by the APC.
“The diversionary accusation authenticates APC’s high profile agenda to embark on criminality to justify a baseless election petition. It is against logical reasoning for PDP that won an election globally certified as free and fair to attempt falsification of publicly available results.
“We, as a party, have the votes. The primary data and the public are on our side as we emerged victorious, beating an incumbent with the entire establishment infrastructure. The only clear suspect evidently angling for another stolen mandate is the APC and its defeated candidate, Gboyega Oyetola.
“We, therefore, declare that no amount of pre-emptive attacks will scare the PDP and the electoral commission from upholding the sanctity of electoral data as contained in the primary data sources, the BIFAS machines.
“We are also confident that no criminally minded anti-democratic force can succeed in blackmailing and intimidating the electoral body from succumbing to forgery and falsification of data.
“We are, therefore, using this medium to sternly warn that no effort will be spared to defend the victory openly conferred on the governor-elect, Senator Ademola Adeleke.
“We will not allow, under whatever guise, any attempt to deny the people of Osun State their inalienable rights to elect the leader of their choice. No subtle threat or subterfuge will cow democratic institutions from standing by the outcome of the electoral process, which has rebranded the commission as an agent of true democracy.
“We consequently call on the APC to stop its journey on the road to electoral banditry as soldiers of democracy are awake to arrest and nip in the bud any fascist move and plot.
“We, particularly, urge the Chairman of INEC, Professor Mahmud Yakubu, to take judicious note of this development and end a shameful drama around the integrity of the electoral data. INEC must stand by the publicly announced results and primary data obtainable from the BIFAS machines.
“However, we reassure the people of Osun State that electoral armed robbers will fail in their bid to stage a daylight robbery. Our eternal vigilance is redoubled and we stand by the watch posts to protect and retain a divinely given mandate.”
