Ayade wants DSS, police to investigate thumb-printing viral video

Cross River State Governor Ben Ayade, has asked the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Mohammed Adamu and Director General, Directorate of State Services (DSS) to investigate the video showing thumb printing of ballot papers during last Saturday’s election.

Ayade, who spoke at a media briefing shortly after the State Security Council meeting in Calabar yesterday, insisted that the intention of the perpetrators was not only criminal, but was designed to paint a bad image and reduce the credibility of elections in the state.

A statement issued by Chief Press Secretary to the state government, Christian Ita, noted: “It is a cooked up video designed to embarrass the state, but God has a way of vindicating the innocent.”

He urged the IGP, the Director General of DSS to narrow down its investigation to the fraudulent, well choreographed, display of wickedness with intent to cause the Federal Government to doubt the credibility of Cross River elections.

Ayade argued that the video was politically motivated and intended to hurt his re-election election on March 9, 2019 adding: “That was not natural, I don’t believe that video and I think the public should disregard it.”

He said the security agencies should ensure that they work on it and assured Nigerians that those who staged the video will soon be apprehended.

Besides, Caretaker Committee of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ogun State has expressed concern over Governor Ibikunle Amosun’s desperation to install his preferred candidate, Adekunle Akinlade, as his successor.

Although, he is an APC Governor, Amosun has declared his unflinching support morally and financially to Akinlade, who is the gubernatorial candidate of Allied Peoples Movement (APM).

The governor had said on Monday that he would embark on full campaigns for the APM before the March 9, 2019 governorship race.

According to Publicity Secretary of the committee, Tunde Oladunjoye, who spoke in Abeokuta yesterday: “For the governor to be supporting APM, I just want to say that it is a sign of ingratitude for members of the APC who were persuaded to support him by a former governor of the state, Chief Olusegun Aremu Osoba.”

Meanwhile, a civil society group, Alliances for Africa (AfA) is seeking protection for female candidates ahead of the March 9 governorship and states Assembly elections.

The group also decried the spate of electoral violence characterised by sporadic shootings and ballot theft by sponsored hoodlums.

A statement issued by the group in Abuja yesterday by its Communications Officer, Chiwendu Anozie, noted that it was no longer news that security personnel were deployed to polling units on elections day.