Osun Guber Poll: APC, PDP Bicker Over Alleged Plans Against INEC
BY SEGUN ADEBAYO – Osun State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has accused the All Progressives Congress (APC) of planning to attack the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC)’s office in Osogbo, the State capital to destroy BVAS machines deployed for the Governorship election on July 16, 2022.
BVAS (Bimodal Voter Accreditation System) machine is an electronic device designed to read Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) and authenticate voters by the electoral umpire, INEC
Raising the alarm on Saturday, the PDP said in a statement by its State Caretaker Chairman, Dr Akindele Adekunle, that there were credible reports at its disposal that the ruling APC is targeting INEC’s strong room where the machines are kept in Osogbo.
The PDP statement said; “We have a tip-off which we consider to be very credible that the APC has perfected a plot to burn down the INEC secretariat at Osogbo. We gather specifically that the target is the strong room where the machines are kept as well as the ICT section of the commission.
“We are urging the management of INEC to strengthen security protection for the state INEC office. These threats should not be taken lightly, especially after the open declaration of insurgency on the state by Mr Famodun.”
Claiming that the APC is desperate to get rid of any likelihood of admissibility of the BVAS machines during the ongoing hearing of the governorship petition at Osogbo, the PDP further provided insight into the ruling party’s petition to relocate the Tribunal sitting to Abuja.
Dr Akindele also said that “the ruling party is scared of the expected ease of verification and consequent invalidation of its claim of overvoting if the Tribunal sittings continue in Osogbo. We have credible reports that the APC is working to frustrate further sittings in Osun state to hamper the transparency of reviewing the data on the BVAS machines.
“As the machines are here in Osun state, verification will be easily handled without logistics constraints and without exposure of the machines to tampering and physical dismemberment.
“To effect its manipulation plan, APC has concluded that further sittings in Osun be halted especially if the claim of over-voting is to be sustained. As the false claim cannot be sustained without tampering with the BVAS machine, the APC is perfecting a plan that will expose the machines to doctoring during movement and relocation.
The PDP asserted that the BVAS machines remain the most credible tools for result verification. Due to their huge numbers and sensitivity of their contents, moving them around, especially to Abuja poses a serious risk of compromise.
Bringing them to the Tribunal at Osogbo is the best route to facilitating a speedy, just, and fair hearing of the petition before the Justice Kume-led Tribunal.
However, reacting to the allegations, the APC has described the allegation as spurious, baseless, and laughable, saying; “The allegation further confirms the fact that not everyone who passes through a school is qualified to be classified as being educated.”
A statement issued in Osogbo by the Party’s spokesperson, Chief Kola Olabisi said; “How on earth could someone who calls himself the state party’s caretaker chairman be spreading such fallacies for reasons which could not be far from having an ulterior motive?”
“The handpicked and controversial caretaker chairman of the Osun State PDP, Dr Akindele Adekunle, should stop exposing his ignorance on the workings of the INEC. It is a pity that the level of educational attainment of the embattled Osun State PDP caretaker state chairman does not educate him to know that INEC operates a central server in its national headquarters where the details of the governorship election are being safely kept”, the statement said
