Chuks Okocha in Abuja
Leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has alerted of a scheme by the All Progressives Congress (APC) leaders in Imo and Cross River States to compromise tomorrow’s presidential and National Assembly elections in the state by inducing unsuspecting members of the public to surrender their Permanent Voter Cards (PVC) to APC agents with false promise of cash payment.
In a statement by the National Publicity Secretary of the party, Hon. Debo Ologunagba, the PDP said, “Our Party has been informed of how a minister in the APC-led federal government, who has relocated to Imo State, is conniving with APC leaders in the state to manipulate information contained in the PCVs to compromise the integrity of INEC’s systems (BVAS and Server) with a view to rigging elections in the state.
“There are already apprehensions of plots by the APC to use the said minister’s influence in the communication Sector to hack into INEC’s system and open it up to manipulate accreditation and voting information to the advantage of the APC. “
PDP, therefore, cautioned the APC and the said minister to note that “their scheme has been exposed. Imo State is a stronghold of the PDP; that the people are behind our Presidential and National Assembly candidates and any attempt to rob them of their votes will be firmly resisted.
“We urge the people of Imo State and Nigerians across the country to resist the APC by refusing to surrender their PVCs to anybody, no matter the pressure or inducement, or allow anybody, under any guise whatsoever to have access to their PVCs.”
He called Nigerians to also note that the PVCs contain very important personal biometric information, stating that, “Allowing APC agents access to the PVCs is likely to open their information to criminals, who could use such to manipulate and devastate the financial and social lives of unsuspecting Nigerians.”
The PDP further called on INEC and the police to take urgent action against the schemes of the APC in Imo State as the people would surely not accept any electoral outcome that does not reflect their will and aspiration.
In yet another statement by Ologunagba, he said intelligence available to the party revealed that Governor Ben Ayade of Cross River State, had allegedly compromised some members of the Election Special Forces detailed from Abuja for the elections in the State.
“Our Party has also been made aware that the said operatives led by a Commissioner of Police were taken to the Government House in Calabar where Governor Ayade reportedly handed them a list of 150 prominent opposition members and supporters who he allegedly ordered to be arrested and taken out of circulation before and during the elections,” he said.
Ologunagba further explained that information at their disposal indicated that Ayade also provided the alleged compromised security operatives with 14 trucks and other vehicles to hound, arrest and convey the said opposition members to secret detention facilities in the state capital.
The intention of the APC, he said was to use the security operatives to harass the opposition, instill fear in the people, create tension and cause voter suppression in the state, having realised that the people had rejected the APC and its presidential and National Assembly candidates due to their manifest failures.
Meanwhile, the PDP faithful in Benue South Senatorial District rose from a stakeholders meeting in Otukpo yesterday’s evening to formally endorse the candidate of the party, Atiku Abubakar as the preferred choice for the plum position.
The meeting was held in the Otukpo, the country home of former President of the Senate, Senator David Mark, where the PDP stakeholders resolved to vote for Atiku on the premise that their interest would be better served under his presidency.
They distanced themselves from those campaigning for candidates of other political parties, saying, they could not be faithful members of the PDP and be seen to be working for candidates of other political parties.
They, therefore, urged all party members not to be distracted by the antics of a few but should go all out to vote for candidates of the PDP in the February 25, 2023 and March 11, 2023 elections.
Addressing the stakeholders drawn for the nine local government areas making up Benue South Senatorial District, Mark told them to be faithful to PDP “because it makes no sense for people to be jumping from one party to the other.”
He said political parties were vehicles for achieving one’s political ambition that must of a necessity be held sacrosanct obeying the rules and regulations.
Mark frowned at those who jump from one party to the other, saying “they are people without conviction or do not know what they really want”.
On his part, the current Benue south Senator Abba Moro urged the party faithful to remain steadfast with the PDP.
In another development, the Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom, has appealed to the youth in the country not to resort to violence and destruction of public properties as a result of the hardship occasioned by the scarcity of cash and fuel brought on the people by the outgoing APC administration.
Ortom made the appeal yesterday, when the new executive members of Tiv Youth Organization (TYO) paid him a courtesy visit at Benue Peoples House, Makurdi.
According to a statement by the Chief Press Secretary to the governor, Nathaniel Ikyur, he maintained that destruction of public facilities because of anger would serve no useful purpose and advised the youth to make their voice heard through the election of credible leaders.
The governor further berated the federal government for deliberately making Nigerians go through pains using the Naira redesign policy, stating that the time given for the old naira notes to go out of circulation was too short.
Ortom enjoined President Muhammadu Buhari to heed to the advice of Nigerians, including those he perceived as enemies and review some policies of his administration that have brought pain to the people.
He commended members of the Tiv Youth Organisation, (TYO), especially the outgone executive members of the association for standing with his administration and speaking out at all times in defence of the people.
He charged the new President to work hard in order to surpass the achievements of his predecessor by cooperating with the state government to ensure the development of the state.
President-General, Tiv Youth Organization, Mr. Andrew Aondongu Anza, expressed appreciation to Ortom for the sacrifices he has made to protect Benue people and assured that TYO would continue to support his government.
