APC Planned To Rig Kogi Election , PDP Alleges

The main opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party has slammed the All Progressives Congress-led federal government of trying to use the military to rig tomorrow, November 21, gubernatorial election in Kogi state.

Olisa Metuh

The party said that rather than using military to perpetrate electoral fraud the armed forces  should be left to concentrate on its statutory role of proving security during elections.
The PDP added that it got to know of the plan to rig the election through intelligence information made available to it that some military officers were detailed by the presidency to carry out specific assignments in favour of the APC candidate in the election, The Punch reports.
This allegation was made by the mouthpiece of the PDP, Olisa Metuh, in a statement made available in Abuja on Friday, November 20.



He warned that any form of rigging in the election will lead to civil disorder and might be an invitation to total disruption of free and fair polls in the state if this alleged threat to peaceful election is not checked.
Metuh said: “Available intelligence shows that the deployment to Kogi state of the Army Colonel, who is a known APC sympathiser is part of the fallout of last week’s secret meeting coordinated by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation,  where orders were issued to clamp-down on PDP members and supporters to pave way for some pliable INEC officials to manipulate the election in favour of the APC.

“Compromised troops have already been detailed to Dekina Local Government Area, the largest PDP stronghold in the state and home of Governor Idris Wada, where they have been instructed to create panic, strong-arm PDP supporters, frighten and scare away voters, ostensibly to deprive our party of its expected large votes from the area.

“We are also aware of how the head of Security of APC candidate’s Campaign Organization, a retired Army General, is coordinating the movement of partisan security operatives into other key local governments, including Igalamela, Ofu, Ankpa and Idah, to harass and frighten PDP supporters and provide a leeway for the APC to manipulate the election.

“The PDP also has information of the copious involvement of a retired police officer, who is working with some men of the Directorate of Security Services in providing illegal arms, vehicles and cover for APC thugs who have been positioned to attack PDP supporters during the election.”
In a related development, Governor Idris Wada had accused his Edo state counterpart, Adams Oshiomole of sponsoring cultists to disrupt the state governorship election.
He alleged that several cultists funded Oshiomole were imported into Lokoja with cache of arms and are lodged in three hotels in the state capital.