By Tony Edike
OPPOSITION political party members in Enugu State said they have uncovered alleged plot by the ruling People’s Democratic Party, PDP, to compromise youth corps members deployed by Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to serve as ad-hoc staff for the re-scheduled National Assembly elections slated for Saturday.

They said the state government had already instructed the 17 local government chairmen in the state to organize parties for the corps members at their various local governments on the eve of the election.

But State Director of NYSC, Mr. Nathaniel Okpongete, in a swift reaction, denied the allegation, saying there was no approval, either from his office or any other quarters, for corps members to attend party on election eve at their place of deployment as ad-hoc staff.

Okpongete said: “No approval like that was given, either from my office here or NYSC headquarters in Abuja.

“We trained the corps members; they are apolitical. The headquarters instructed us to make sure that the corp members are neutral. How can they compromise where there are party agents at the polling station? In fact, for somebody to mention my name is what I don’t understand. There is no truth at all in what they told you.”

However, spokesman, People for Democratic Change, PDC, a leading opposition party in the state, Mr. Igbonekwu Ogazimorah, told reporters in Enugu yesterday that the state government had allegedly perfected plans to compromise the corps members at the party.

He said that having seen the grassroots support being enjoyed by PDC in the state, which would have translated to victory in last weekend’s botched National Assembly polls, the PDP has devised various strategies to rig the election on Saturday, one of which was to compromise the corps members who have a key role to play in the exercise.

Ogazimorah said: “We have reliably gathered that the state government has instructed the 17 local government chairmen to organize party for the corp members in their various local governments on the eve of the election.

“We also gathered that some monetary inducement would be made to the corps members after the party. We believe that this is a plot to compromise corps members and make them to frustrate the elections, especially in the opposition strongholds.

“We condemn this plot in its entirety and wish to advise the corps members to desist from accepting any monetary inducement from any council chairman.”

He called on INEC, the State Director and the Director General of NYSC to investigate the alleged plot by the government in Enugu State to compromise the corp members to favour PDP candidates in Saturday’s election, especially in opposition strongholds.

When contacted on the issue yesterday, the State Director of NYSC, Mr. Nathaniel Okpongete, denied the allegation, saying there was no approval, either from his office or any other quarters, for corps members to attend party on election eve at their place of deployment as ad-hoc staff.

Okpongete said: “No approval like that was given, either from my office here or NYSC headquarters in Abuja.

“We trained the corps members; they are apolitical. The headquarters instructed us to make sure that the corp members are neutral. How can they compromise where there are party agents at the polling station? In fact, for somebody to mention my name is what I don’t understand. There is no truth at all in what they told you.”