APGA Senatorial candidate alleges plot by PDP to rig ; INEC EOs’ connection

The man who has vowed to stop Gov T.A Orji from going to the sen­ate and All Progres­sives Grand

Alliance (APGA) candidate for Abia Central zone, Chief Uju Okere has accused the Peoples Demo­cratic Party (PDP) in Abia State of despera­tion and plans to rig the forthcoming elections in the state, with obvi­ous defeat starring it in the face.

According to Okere, as part of the strategy to perfect the rigging of the election, a top official of the state gov­ernment was said to have in the last couple of days held separate meetings with the head of a federal institu­tion of higher learning in the state, Electoral Officers (EOs) of the 17 local govern­ments, a transition caretaker committee chairman of one of the local governments from Abia Central, and some traditional rulers.

The meetings, accord­ing to Okere were centered on how the polls would be rigged in favour of all the PDP candidates, including the governor. The meeting which the top government official had with the head of the federal institution of higher learning which is lo­cated within the Umuahia axis was for the man to make available 460 of his workers to the Independent National Electoral Commission in Abia for a special assign­ment of aiding in rigging the election. A certain amount of money is said to have been mapped out for this ‘special’ assignment.

This unholy alliance has made the opposition in the state to be wary of the ac­tivities of the said head of the federal institution of higher learning who is likely to be used as the Returning Of­ficer for the state by INEC during the election, and have therefore alerted the Com­mission’s Chairman, Prof Attahiru Jega on the man’s activities.

Okere alleged that in a separate meeting the top Abia government official held with the 17 LGAs INEC EOs, it was agreed that they (EOs) should work for the success of the governor and other Abia PDP candidates at the polls. Each EO would in turn get N2m for the Na­tional Assembly elections and N3m for the Governor­ship election.

Okere was of the view that this high level of complic­ity by the EOs in the state to thwart the wishes and aspira­tions of the Abia electorate through the ballot box would undermine the integrity of Prof Jega who has vowed to conduct a free and fair elec­tion, and called for their re­posting to other states.

However, investigations revealed that at the meeting, the top government official assured the EOs they would not be posted out of the state; rather they could only be re­shuffled round the LGAs.

In a different twist, the same top government official was said to have expressed worry over the uncoopera­tive attitude of a top notch of INEC in the state. The INEC official was said to have re­buffed every move by the said government official to have her at his beck and call.

Investigations revealed that the same top govern­ment official boasted that he went to the villa on Tuesday to meet with the President, who disbursed money to PDP senatorial and guber­natorial candidates in the forthcoming elections, and stated that with the money, INEC would be totally ‘in their pocket’.

A source revealed that in a meeting the official held with one of the TC Chair­men from Abia Central and a former local government chairman from the area, plans were mapped out on how to deal with the leader­ship of the opposition in the state.

According to the source, it was agreed at the meet­ing that the said TC chair­man would lead a group on an assault at Dr Alex Otti’s country residence in Umuru Nvosi, Isiala Ngwa South LGA and burn it down with a view to compelling him to abandon his governor­ship pursuit, while another group would lead an attack on Okere.

Our source revealed that the meeting with traditional rulers was to make them to openly canvass votes for the Governor and PDP candi­dates, and that any of them who refused would have his staff of office retrieved.

Last week, five traditional rulers in the state who were perceived to have sympathy for opposition candidates particularly the APGA gu­bernatorial candidate, Alex Otti were suspended by the state government. This, ac­cording to our source was a grand design to put fear in other traditional rulers who may have soft spot for can­didates of opposition par­ties.

The source stated that the state PDP, having realized that the state electorate has rejected them, has resorted to attacking the opposition at campaign rallies and are intent on inventing ways of manipulating the election process.