Governor Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti State has, again, raised the alarm that the All Progressive Congress (APC) has allegedly perfected plans with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to not only manipulate the July 14 election, but also to de-enfrancihise 50 per cent electorate by heavily preloading the smart cards readers and release ballot papers to members of APC to justify the preload.
Briefing the newsmen inside the new Governor’s office in Ado Ekiti, the state capital, on Tuesday, Governor Fayose alleged that “It has come to our attention that the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ekiti State has devised another sinister plot to disenfranchise thousands of eligible voters in areas considered as strongholds of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), particular where the PDP standard bearer cones from , which is Ikere-Ekiti.
“The APC is working in collaboration with some unscrupulous elements in the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to delete not less than 40 percent names from the Voter Register, using the Automated Fingerprint Identification System (AFIS) as a decoy and targeting Ado Ekiti, the State capital and Ikere Ekiti where the PDP candidate comes from.
“The APC did not stop at this; they are currently distributing fake Empowerment Forms and cash to unsuspecting electorate, using a phony organisation, with the aim of deactivating Voters Cards, thereby disenfranchising thousands of voters.
” They are also putting pressure on INEC to use Incident Forms as alternative to the Smart Card Readers, so as to be able rig the July 14 election.
“It should be noted that the Incident Forms, being contemplated for Ekiti were not used during the Anambra election. The question is; why the plan to use it in Ekiti?.
“To heighten their game, the APC in collaboration with INEC are planning to heavily preload the Smart Card Readers and also release ballot papers to their members for ballot stuffing to justify the preload.
” We are concerned again by APC plan to cause violence again in the state, ahead of the election.
“The whole world is therefore placed on alert on the desperate bid of the APC to circumvent the will of Ekiti people at all cost, not minding the danger it portends for democracy in the country.
“I am a leading opposition in this country, the APC is not campaigning, but they want to rig the election at all cost.
“We are raising this alarm to save this country from major consequences in the buildup to the 2019 general elections because the planned rigging of the Ekiti State election will serve as a prelude to their planned rigging of the elections, which is capable of plunging the country into avoidable anarchy.
“We call on the international community to in the interest of democracy in Nigeria, take interest in the Ekiti election and ensure that there is free, fair and credible.”