Osun Rerun: "INEC Giving PVCs To APC Govt officials" - CUPP

The Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP) on Monday alleged that INEC was giving to Osun State officials unclaimed permanent voter cards in units where there would be supplementary election.

The coalition members alleged that the conspiracy was being spearheaded by some unnamed national officers of the commission.

CUPP, which was formed a few months ago with the aim of ousting the President Muhammadu Buhari administration in the 2019 presidential election, warned that the act of illegality would not be allowed to stand.

Spokesman for the CUPP, Mr Ikenga Ugochinyere, made the allegations in a statement on Monday.

He said, “The attention of the CUPP has been drawn to credible intelligence showing a new conspiracy by some national officers of INEC to tamper and manipulate the Osun governorship rerun with the ongoing release of uncollected PVCs to desperate APC government in Osun State.

“We wish to alert the public that INEC, in furtherance of this move being coordinated by an INEC senior officer from South-West, has refused to release the official list of people who have collected PVCs at the seven polling units where the election is to be held.

“We have it on good authority that less than 1,000 registered voters have collected their PVC’s out of the 3,498 voters. This means that less than 1,000 persons are to participate in the actual voting.

“We demand that INEC immediately release this list. The delay is a calculated plot to announce a fictitious figure of uncollected PVCs to enable the APC to share the PVCs to thugs imported from Lagos.”

Ugochinyere added that the CUPP was aware that the Information Communications Technology Unit of the commission was on the verge of releasing the telephone numbers of registered voters of the rerun polling units to the APC.

“The plan is to call, harass and bribe the voters with huge sums from the Paris Club refund meant to pay Osun workers their three-year salary,” he added.

Present concrete proofs, INEC tells CUPP 
But INEC said the CUPP should present proofs to back up its allegations, warning the body to stop sowing discord in Osun State.

Mr Rotimi Oyekanmi, the Chief Press Secretary to the INEC Chairman, Prof Mahmood Yakubu, who spoke on Monday, noted that INEC had “conducted six governorship elections since 2015 without manipulation.”

Oyekanmi said, “It is irresponsible of the CUPP to make a wild and unsubstantiated allegation such as this at this time. What exactly is their motive? The media should ask the CUPP to provide concrete proof about this allegation. The INEC has conducted 191 different types of elections, including six governorship elections since 2015. If the commission did not manipulate any of these elections, why will it do so now with the Osun governorship election?

“The CUPP is advised to engage in patriotic actions rather than sowing discord at a time like this.”

Also, the Resident Electoral Commissioner in Osun State, Mr Olusegun Agbaje, denied the allegation.

culled from Olu famous Mr Olumide's Blog