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How APC plans to rig Lagos gov, assembly polls, by PDP

By Seye Olumide and Bolanle Banji-Idowu
09 April 2015   |   12:02 am
THE Jimi Agbaje Campaign Organisation has spoken of unearthing plans by the All Progressives Congress (APC) to rig Saturday’s governorship and House of Assembly elections in Lagos State.
Jimi-Agbaje

Jimi-Agbaje

Ruling party dismisses allegations

THE Jimi Agbaje Campaign Organisation has spoken of unearthing plans by the All Progressives Congress (APC) to rig Saturday’s governorship and House of Assembly elections in Lagos State.

In a catalogue of electoral misdemeanours reportedly lined up to illicitly swing results in favour of APC, the Agbaje organisation cited bribing of security officers and electoral officials, cancellation of unduly voided votes, intimidation of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) supporters, hijacking of ballot boxes, stuffing of voting boxes, deprivation and delaying of electoral officers and materials to PDP strongholds, and importation of mercenary voters from neighbouring states.

But in a swift reaction, the APC denied the allegations, describing them as immoral, unsubstantiated and illegal, and said they should be dismissed by the electorate.

The alleged rigging plans were exposed in a statement by Felix Oboagwina, Director of Publicity of Jimi Agbaje, governorship candidate of the PDP in Lagos State. According to the group, the Lagos State government met workers on Tuesday, and warned that it had posted to the polling units, agents who would spy on and report civil servants who voted against the APC governorship candidate, Akinwunmi Ambode.

“Many of these plans have been fashioned in addition to those deployed for the grand rigging that took place at the Presidential and National Assembly elections on March 28, and they are being perfected for April 11,” the statement said.

On the voiding of votes, the statement recalled the huge volume of voided votes, pointing out that many of them belonged to PDP and could have been salvaged as authentic votes.

Already, according to the statement, the mass importation of ghost or “ECOMOG” voters from Ekiti, Osun and Ondo states has commenced. It said that the APC was paying N10,000 per mercenary elector from the three states, from a central purse in Osogbo, the Osun State capital.

Oboagwina said information at the Jimi Agbaje Campaign organisation’s disposal revealed the infiltration of field officers of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) by card-carrying members of the APC.

“The rival party’s loyalists worked as electoral officers in the last election, they mounted polling units and collation units at the ward, local government and state levels and they made a lot of difference in the result that ended up favouring their paymasters,” he said.

The statement also spoke of slush money being amassed to induce electoral officers, including ad hoc and bonafide staffers, manning the polling units, ward, local government and state levels.

In the multipronged attack, according to the statement, the rival party planned to intimidate PDP and Agbaje supporters and force them to abandon their usual voting constituencies on Election Day.

In places like Ibeju-Lekki, the statement alleged, APC has been camping NYSC members in hotels and bribing them to assist help falsifying figures.

It also said the rival party planned to get its allies within INEC at the local governments to deliberately delay distribution of materials to PDP strongholds and places with high density of non-indigenes.

“In the last elections, constituencies where PDP recorded high votes had the results upturned and in the repeat polls, the rival party was illegally assisted to win.

This will happen again,” it said. “As happened on that day too, polling unit results would be recorded on temporary sheets and changed at the collation stage.” The Lagos APC which reacted through its Publicity Secretary, Joe Igbokwe, said the PDP is only showing sign it will soon die a natural death in Lagos.

“For what purpose should we import mercenaries voters from Ondo and Osun when we have over three million registered voters in Lagos and majority of them voted for the APC in the last election?” Igbokwe also dismissed the allegation that the APC is planning to use slush funds to bribe security and INEC officials.

“This is a tradition of the PDP in the last 15 years, but now that the party is no longer in power, it is APC’s turn to be so accused,” he said. Igbokwe wondered why the table has suddenly changed that the PDP is now crying wolves “where it is actually guilty.”

“Before the presidential election, the PDP unleashed members of the Oodua Peoples Congress (OPC) on the Lagosians where they vandalized most APC posters along the the road, displayed arms and ammunition and unleashed terror, not only on the members of our parties but on innocent Nigerians.” He said it remains baffling that the PDP, within a matter of days that it lost power, could come out crying like this.

16 Comments

  • Author’s gravatar

    PDP can never die a natural death because Nigeria is too big to be a one-party nation

  • Author’s gravatar

    We will Massively Vote PDP out of Lagos. JK’s BOLD IGNORANCE cant pull Nather.. ALl Na power point with No point

  • Author’s gravatar

    And look and see How PDP will won lagos Election see what will happen as your oba are been push to the wall because he has no wisdon

  • Author’s gravatar

    APC INFIGHTING WILL SOON START,AND APC WILL ALL DIE IN LAGOON,SO VOTE PDP,A STRONG OPPOSITION IS GOOD FOR DEMOCRACY,NO TO ONE PARTY STATE

  • Author’s gravatar

    What PDP said is true.In my polling unit, this was the case. PDP should also be mindful of the people they use as agents. The PDP agent in my area was questionable. Many of us wondered if he was really a PDP agent because of the way he conducted himself…..

  • Author’s gravatar

    Change should not only come to Nigeria, Lagos state should also be honoured with change. Vote Jim Agbaje for governor.

  • Author’s gravatar

    Pls do not relent–in your efforts tom ensure that u chase the professional riggers in APC out of your sight—–Jim u are very correct–APC went to court to stop the security operatives and the army from————supervising the elections with the aid of the fraudsters in Jegas office–PDP must be vigilant—a government of APC at the Centre–is already proving very problematic for the nation–Lok at the crisis in Ekiti-Aware the governorship elections would not have much inputs from the USA and Obama telling us what to do with ourselves-at the polling stations—unlike the presidential elections which Obama openly rigged for Buhari–this one is goping to be u face me I face u-if APC says PDP spent 16 years in abuja—Nigerian have not forgotten how they the APC people destroyed lagos-a federal territory

  • Author’s gravatar

    Who’s the joker that wrote this? The PDP just listed their game plan. Instead of you to focus on issues! Instead of you to acknowledge that a “medicine store keeper” can not run a N500 billion company. This guy is “Just Kidding” and it’s obvious the serious candidate is busy articulating & making plans.

    Finally, I have it on very good authority that a PDP chieftain gave large sums of cash to a Cult Group to enlist their members to cause mayhem. But unknown to this PDP troublemaker the Cultist has turned a new leaf and he’s now helping with investigations. Some arrests have also been made and the deployed cultists are being neutralized accordingly.

    Please allow Lagos to continue with progress.

    Cheers. B

  • Author’s gravatar

    If APC plan to rig, they won’t be going the extra mile to reach registered APC members and encourage them to vote, mitigate the effect of the monarch’s utterance, bring GMBPYO together to campaign for Ambode, create jingles and promos to reach English and non-English speakers, host rallies etc. Riggers don’t waste effort, they waste money; GEJ has been in Lagos, who has seen him campaigning for Agbaje or PDP? You need not look too far to know who the REAL riggers are!

    • Author’s gravatar

      Your comment is illogical. But I would like to know how PDP got the information.

      • Author’s gravatar

        This is my problem with you PDP-people, if you say a comment is illogical, shouldn’t you say why? Did you read the comment at all? Do you know how many people APC has mobilised to make calls to their registered members, do you know the number of registered members APC can boast of? Would they be spending millions to reach registered members, create more promos, organise rallies, mitigate the Oba’s utterance… if they can put the millions in the hands of riggers? You asked how PDP got their information? I am a journalist, let me educate you. Go through the article again and tell me who was quoted and who backed up the quote? Credible reports can be verified! When a report emanates and ends with the initiator’s publicity secretary then you know this is baseless propaganda! He made the spurious allegation and backed it up himself (laughable!). Real newsworthy articles must be backed with facts that can be verified. Whose picture do you see on the report? Agbaje. Is he the one making the claim? Why not the photo of the publicity secretary or the riggers, why not the photo of APC accused of rigging, why not the photo of ballot boxes? Simple. The intention is to imprint Agbaje in your mind! It is called subtle advertisement. You may wish to get busy with the question you asked, but next time state your own opinion without labelling the opinion of someone you do not know.

    • Author’s gravatar

      Nigerians should know that votes count these days courtesy of GEJ and JEGA. Go and vote and guard your vote and stop shouting rigging.

  • Author’s gravatar

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  • Author’s gravatar

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    For more info call the sales manager Mr Umar on 08035511166 or 07052303842,
    Delivery can be made all parts of Nigeria

  • Author’s gravatar

    whe they started theyFashola said that he was too old to rule Lagos but people said that if he was too old what of Buhari that means he is a grand father to rule Nigeria, two, Fashola said that he does not pay taxes he also came out and disproved it with documents showing it, then the next thing is for their Ob to start threatening the tribe that he has most supporters, and instead of telling him to apologize they are now telling the igbos not to listen to him. Were i come from there is a saying that goes klike this na laugh na im person they take know weitn dey person mind, and that statement did not just come up at once it has always been in his mind and thank God he confessed without knowing.