The All Progressives Congress, APC, on Wednesday alerted its supporters, the electorates and the local as well as international observers to be vigilant as the State Police Command comes under alleged undue pressure from the State Governor, Engr Seyi Makinde.
The opposition party said the Police boss, Williams Adebowale had at several fora in the past few days assured the people of the State and the political parties of his impartiality before, during and after the elections.
But the party through its spokesperson, Olawale Sadare, said the Police Boss as a man of impeccable character must not allow the State to compromise his hard-earned reputation.
He appealed to the police boss to warn its rank and file against being used to subvert the wishes of the people of the State who are already tired of the maladministration of the PDP government.
Sadare remarked that the State Governor was ready to compromise anybody in his desperation to secure the elusive second term ambition in office.
The party spokesperson said the State helmsman was desperate and hellbent on disrupting peaceful conduct of the Saturday’s election, if his ambition does not materialize.
He therefore appealed to its supporters and the good people of the State including local and foreign observers to beam their searchlights on the activities of the security agencies on Saturday.
In a related development, the party on Wednesday raised the alarm over evil plans of the ruling PDP and Makinde to massively rig the Saturday’s election using the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, political thugs who they said to be coordinated Mr. Mukaila Lamidi (Auxilary) and other security agents to mastermind the plan.
The party has therefore warned the Governor to stop his desperation and allow the will of God and the power of the electorates to hold sway on Saturday, stating that the Governor and his party would be held responsible for any breakdown of law and order.
Part of the plans, according to the APC, is that ‘where APC has majority, ballot papers will be insufficient and officials of INEC would get there late, and make voting to commence hours after scheduled time with a view of using the cover of darkness to unleash mayhem on the hapless citizens and voters in those areas.
“On the other hand, where PDP has the majority, election will commence early, ballot papers will be more than sufficient and five or six ballot papers will be issued to one prospective voter at such polling unit.
“To further prepare ground for their rigging plans, one of the Governor’s top aide earlier last week assembled voters from Sabo majorly in Ibadan North Local local Government and collected their voters cards and gave them money in return.
“He did same thing for hundreds of other unsuspecting voters and exchanged monies in return for their voters card that were screened at a place in Ikolaba area of the city.
“Some ICT-savvy youths were lodged at the government house about a week ago and were camped there to compromise INEC’s efforts during the collation of polls results after voting exercise.
“Political thugs known as Auxilliary boys and Amotekun have been mobilized to disrupt the election in the areas where the APC is believed to be more popular and likely to win.
“Towards the end of the polls, Auxilliary boys will disrupt the elections in areas where PDP has majority, carry ballot boxes with ballot papers to fill same for the PDP.
“Auxilliary boys/Amotekun corps will be used to force people at polling units to vote for Seyi (PDP) otherwise they will not be allowed to move near the polling units, hence they won’t vote.
“Example of this negative development was reported in Alakia-Adegbayi area of Egbeee Local Government where Auxiliary was reported to be terrorizing the people of the area for their refusal to vote for the PDP in the last week’s presidential and National Assembly election.
“Contrary to INEC guidelines, the plan is to ask Party agents to move far away from the presiding officers’ table so that all atrocities can be easily committed.
“A former INEC chief who posted the EOs initially to the various LGAs is still firmly in control of them and still giving them instructions on behalf of Seyi Makinde on what to do and how do it.
“And they are already bonded and mobilized to work for Makinde.
“The APC is demanding immediate swap of the EOs in Oyo State with that of Ekiti by Thursday (09/03/2023) or elsewhere in the Southwest where the REC had been seen to be largely neutral in conduct and deeds.
“The EOs in Oyo State as presently constituted were already compromised during the last presidential election, PDP gave each EO $5,000 and a plot of land each in GRA, using different names from their own for the issuance of the offer letters.
“For the coming election, they want to compromise them with $10,000 each. Meanwhile the last REC, now in Osun, is still issuing instructions to the EOs he posted there initially before he was posted to Osun.
“There is an urgent need to swap the EOs within the various LGS in Oyo State, to ensure this election is free, fair and credible,’ the party stressed.
