Allegations false and unfounded —APC

By Emem Idio

YENAGOA—THE Bayelsa Restoration Campaign Organisation of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, for the December 5, governorship election has raised alarm over alleged plot by the All Progressives Congress, APC, to rig the forth coming governorship election in the state.

Addressing newsmen yesterday in Yenagoa, the Director of Publicity of the campaign organisation, Jonathan Obuebite, alleged that moves were on by the APC to compromise Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, officials and security agencies to give APC victory in the election.

He also alleged that the APC was working with two Northern governors and some important persons in the Presidency to achieve the objective of rigging the Bayelsa governorship election, adding that the party had made military and police uniforms  and distributed same to thugs to intimidate and harass voters on election day.

Governor Henry Seriake Dickson

He said: “We have unearthed a dubious plan to compromise INEC Bayelsa office to give authentic result sheets to APC leadership during the election which will then be used to rig the election.

“However, we can confirm that this plan has been rebuffed by INEC officials since it borders on criminality,  hence we conclude that this was why the APC has been chorusing lack of cooperation by INEC in the state. If we may ask, what manner of cooperation do they want from INEC in Bayelsa State?

“Besides the above nefarious and unpatriotic acts, we have also discovered that APC in Bayelsa State is busy cloning and buying up permanent voter cards, PVCs, which they hope to use to distort the outcome of the election by falsifying result  of the card reader as well as compromising the card readers that would be sent to PDP  strongholds throughout the state.”

Sylva dismisses allegation

Meanwhile, the Sylva-Igiri Campaign Organisation has described the allegation by the Restoration Campaign Organisation of the PDP that the APC was plotting to rig the December 5 governorship election as “false and unfounded.”

Reacting, yesterday, the Director of Media and Publicity,  Sylva-Igiri Campaign Organisation of the APC, Chief Nathan Egba, said it was shocking that the PDP would quickly turn around to raise the allegations that the APC had put before the security agencies to investigate the Serieke Dickson-led government.

He said: “There is, of course, no truth in the allegation that our party is planning to rig the election in connivance with security agencies and other institutions like INEC. This is the thinking of a sinking ship and a loser.

“Our reaction to what the PDP has said is very simple. Every single thing they are alleging against the APC is precisely what the campaign organisation of the PDP is doing.

“What they are trying to do is to deflect attention from their plans, realizing that their plans had been exposed.

“For instance, we have called the attention of the security agents to the activities of a senior INEC official in Bayelsa State who is working closely with them to compromise the election. The said official was used to rig the last National and state Assembly elections in the state.”