ONDO 2016: Mimiko Alleges Plans By APC To Rig Election

ONDO 2016: Mimiko Alleges Plans By APC To Rig Election

Ondo State Governor, Dr. Olusegun Mimiko, on Friday alleged that the APC was planning to use the federal might to rig the state governorship election, saying that the PDP would reject any attempt to manipulate the process.

The governor also alleged that some APC chieftains at the national level were planning to use INEC to rig the election, as it was allegedly done in Edo State.

While speaking with journalists in Akure, Mimiko also alleged that the electoral body was not being fair to the PDP by not postponing the election to give room for the party to have access to the voter’s register.

He further alleged that INEC refused to receive the list of the agents of the party’s candidate, Jegede, 48 hours before the election.

He said, “INEC did not release the list of voter’s register to the PDP until yesterday (Thursday), in clear infraction of its own laws and against its advertised timetable and schedule of activities for the Ondo State election. INEC refused to publish Eyitayo Jegede’s name for 30 days as stipulated in Section 34 of the Electoral Act 2010.

“INEC denied Eyitayo Jegede the right to submit his party agents’ list at least seven days before the election, as stipulated in Section 45 of the Electoral Act 2010, among many others. As we speak, collation tags for ward collation officers are not available for PDP ward agents.

“More than the above, the agents on INEC’s list are agents submitted by a man already aptly described by the courts as an impostor, who has also openly showed he is working as a fifth columnist in the Ondo State election. We were expected to run a race with our hands tied behind our back while INEC also goes ahead to foist a ‘wuruwuru to the answer’ result.”

The governor urged the people to defend their votes and not allow any alteration of result from anywhere during the election.

He said, “As we make the sacred choice of electing a worthy governor, we must exercise the greatest level of diligence and vigilance. I urge you all to vote and defend your votes. Your vote is your power; use it wisely and protect it jealously.”

Reacting to the allegation by Mimiko, the Publicity Secretary of the APC in the state, Mr. Abayomi Adesanya, denied the allegation, describing it as frivolous and a mere excuse for failure on the part of the PDP.

He said, “It is not true, we don’t have any plan to rig the election, our target is the electorate. The PDP has lost this election already because of its unresolved internal crisis. The party is only looking for an excuse to hinge its failure on.

“We have prepared for the election; we have gone to the length and breadth of the state. Since the PDP has canvassed for postponement and failed, that is why it was raising the allegation that we want to rig the election. We are not preparing to rig the election, we are preparing to win the election and we are going to have a landslide victory.”