Oyo: Lam accuses PDP of stuffing ballot boxes before election

*Allegation untrue, says Govt

By Ola Ajayi

IBADAN—FORMER Governor,  Lamidi Adesina of Oyo State has alleged that the ruling Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) in the state has already stuffed some ballot boxes with votes ahead of Saturday’s re-run election into the House of Representatives.

He made the allegation yesterday while addressing newsmen on  the election that will hold on Saturday to fill the vacancy created as a result of the nullification of the election of Mrs Folake Olunloyo-Oshinowo who contested on the platform of the PDP in the April 2007 election.

He said all the security agencies in the state should be vigilant and do the  jobs expected of them as impartial umpire, vowing that the Action Congress would not sit back  and watch votes of the people being stolen.

But Prince Dotun Oyelade, Special Adviser to the Governor on Public Communication dismissed  the allegation, saying someone of Alhaji Adesina‘s political standing should weigh his utterances in the public domain.

“Alleging malpractices in an election that is yet to hold and without any proof whatsoever smacks of a pre-emptive admission of defeat even before the first shot is fired,” he stated.

He said, “the opting out of the Federal constituency election by the AD candidate and the unguarded accusation of the former Governor were symptoms that they have already seen the handwriting on the wall,” he concluded.

However, Alhaji Adesina dismissed the possibility of boycotting the election, saying as one of those who were under the political tutelage of Chief Obafemi Awolowo, he was not taught to boycott election.

He boasted  that the ruling party should forget the idea of rigging the election. “Oyo government has decided to deploy all its officials to supervise the election, they should all come  including the governor, but nobody will be allowed to tamper with votes of the people”.

“We have got information  through a grapevine that they have used some ballot boxes to cast their votes awaiting to bring them to the pooling units. It would not be easy this time around