The Peoples Democratic Party has accused the All Progressives Congress of plans to fake technical staff of the Independent National Electoral Commission to tamper with the Bimodal Voters Accreditation System to rig the 2024 Edo State governorship election.
Addressing a press conference at the party’s state Secretariat on Friday, Chairman of the party, Hon Anthony Aziegbemi also accused the opposition party of uploading foreigners and emojis as party agents, while the Labour Party was accused of uploading one picture of several times and
warned the Independent National Electoral Commission not to allow any political party that has not filled it’s party agents after the July,30 expiration date to do so.
But reacting to the PDP allegation the Media Director of APC Campaign Council, Prince Kassim Afegbua, said it is the PDP that is planning to rig the poll.
He called on the party to campaign to the electorate, saying that the N500 million the state government allegedly spent on hiring Rema to Benin, should have been spent to improve the lot market women who he said were suffering.
On the claim of political parties not meeting INEC deadline for submission of party agents, Afegbua said the agent’s names had been submitted, explaining all parties had up till midnight yesterday to upload the agents’ pictures to INEC.
Aziegbemi said at the press conference that APC did not meet the requirement in uploading party agents in 3,037 polling units and in 17 Local Governments, which means the party has polling Agents in only 1,482 Polling Units and 1 Local Government, while the ruling PDP uploaded Polling Agents in 4,378 Polling Units and failed to upload in just 141 Polling Units.
Aziegbemi urged Edo people not to trust the All Progressives Congress APC with their votes.
He said, ”On the 29th of August, 2024 INEC invited the National Chairmen and National Secretaries (of political parties) for an emergency meeting in Abuja.
“To our amazement, the APC did not meet with the requirement in 3,037 polling units and in 17 Local Government, which means the APC has polling Agents in only 1,482 Polling Units and 1 Local Government Agent. PDP uploaded Polling Agents in 4,378 Polling Units, but could not meet the requirements in 141 Polling Units. A party that cannot upload its polling unit agents in two-thirds of the polling units cannot be trusted with power in our State. We demand that no political party be allowed to correct this anomaly.”
Continuing, he said “Secondly, we wish to draw the attention of INEC and Edolites to the sinister plan of the APC which has been uncovered by our intelligence unit. APC has perfected a plan to use fake INEC Staff posing as Technical Staff to temper with the BVAS Machine on the Day of Election to beef up the number of accredited voters on the BVAS machine.”
“APC knowing that they cannot win the election has resorted to RIGGING PLANS which will fail, by the Grace of Almighty God,” Aziegbemi said.
