Osun Governorship Rerun: APC calls on INEC, security agencies to stop buying of votes by PDP
The All Progressives Congress (APC), has called on Nigeria’s electoral body, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), and security agencies, to work to prevent buying of votes by the peoples Democratic Party(PDP) in the Thursday, September 27 governorship election re-run in Osun State.
INEC declared the election held on December 22 inconclusive after PDP candidate, Senator Ademola Adeleke led his APC rival, Gboyega Oyetola with just 353 after the final count of votes by INEC.
Observers of the election had alleged buying of votes by parties even though there were no incidents of electoral violence recorded across the state.
The APC in a statement on Monday signed by Yekini Nabena, its Acting National Publicity Secretary, accused the PDP of plotting to win the re-run by all means. The party said the outcome of Saturday’s election shows that the PDP was out to win by deploying “means, schemes, shenanigans in all ramification and magnitude to rig all coming elections, starting from the Osun State Governorship election”.
“It is now clear that the vote-buying template introduced by the PDP and brazenly deployed in the Osun inconclusive election is an urgent threat to our democracy and current efforts to ensure the sanctity of our elections,” Nabena said in the statement.
The APC said while the PDP and “its paid proxies” where accusing other political parties of irregularities during Saturday’s inconclusive elections, it was busy perpetuating its vote-buying scheme as exposed in several leaked videos showing PDP agents buying votes for its candidate, Sen. Ademola Adeleke particularly in Ede locals councils of Osun State.
“The PDP’s now public rigging method particularly vote-buying and dissemination of diversionary fake news must be checked particularly as we go into the INEC-ordered Osun governorship rerun. We also call on the electorate, civil society organisations and relevant stakeholders to speak out and resist the PDP’s retrogressive plans which threaten our democracy.
“Again, while the PDP attempts to misinform the public on the rationale for declaring the Osun Governorship election inconclusive, they should be reminded that in 2015, the late Abubakar Audu of Kogi State was leading by 240, 867 votes to PDP 199,514 votes, the margin of 41,353 favoured APC but it was declared inconclusive. INEC ordered a rerun because 49,953 cancelled votes were higher than the 41,353 despite the fact that APC was leading with a wide margin. At the time PDP did not protest rather prepared and waited for the rerun date. The PDP cannot be supportive of decisions only when it seemingly favours them. There are electoral precedents, guidelines and laws which are binding on all,” the APC said in the statement.
The party said it our confidence that the Osun electorate will resist the PDP’s deployment to take over the state by force.
“The people’s will; the people’s vote is supreme. It must be respected and defended. That is democratic, progressive and the right thing,” the statement noted.
