By Oluwakemi Ishola
The Ondo State Chapter of All Progressives Congress (APC) has raised an alarm that Governor Seyi Makinde of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has imported thousands of his party members from Oyo State to participate in the October 10 Governorship elections in Ondo State.
This is coming few hours after the PDP rejected the Chief Returning Officer for the Ondo election who is the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ife, Professor Eyitope Ogungbenro Ogunbodede.
In a statement by the chairman of the PDP Ondo State Governorship National Campaign Council, Seyi Makinde, the party alleged that Professor Ogunbodede is a known crony to the All Progressives Congress (APC), governorship candidate Rotimi Akeredolu and hails from the same hometown (Owo).
The PDP claims that Prof. Ogunbodede will not be fair in the discharge of his duty as the Ondo Governorship election Chief Returning Officer.
However, the APC fired back by claiming that the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has connived with the Zenith Labour Party (ZLP) to subvert the wish of the Ondo State people during the Saturday elections.
APC, in a statement signed by its State Publicity Secretary – Mr. Alex Kalejaye, said it was appalled that the desperation of the PDP has taken a criminal dimension, as Governor Seyi Makinde has recruited thousands of members of his party in Oyo State for the purpose of participating in the election.
The statement read in part: “The members of the Oyo State chapter of the PDP, with their voters cards are to vote in the Ondo election, with the connivance of some staff of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). The essence is to increase the PDP votes through the criminal activities”.
“While many of these “imported voters” are already scattered across the local government areas of the the State, more are expected to arrive on Friday”.
“The leader of Zenith Labour Party and former Governor of Ondo State, Dr. Olusegun Mimiko, on the other hand, is to lead his party’s plot in harsh and ruthless determination to oust the APC flag bearer”
“A source at the ZLP Strategic Committee meeting learnt that the crux of ZLP’s rigging plan is to concentrate on the South Senatorial district, and come up with “huge votes”, to counter the votes of other aspirants”.
The APC called on its members and security agencies to be vigilant and resist every plan, aimed at subverting the wish of the people of Ondo State.
The ruling party in the State also urged INEC to caution members of its staff, and ad hoc workers to ensure that only voter’s cards that are registered in Ondo State are admitted for the purpose of voting on Saturday, to avoid crises at Polling Units.
