PDP, APC trade accusations over plan to attack INEC office in Osun

The Osun State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Saturday raised an alarm that the All Progressives Congress (APC) has concluded plans to attack the Osogbo Independent National Electoral Commission’s office to destroy BVAS machines used during the July 16th Governorship election.

This is just as the APC has described the allegation as spurious and baseless.

The PDP in a statement in Osogbo by the state Caretaker Chairman, Dr Akindele Adekunle, had said credible reports at its disposal revealed that the attack is to target the strong room where the machines were kept at the Osogbo office of the electoral commission.

“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. This threats should not be taken lightly especially after the open declaration of insurgency on the state by Mr Famodun,” the statement warned.

The APC, Dr Akindele posited, 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 statement further provided insight into the petition of the APC to relocate the Tribunal sitting to Abuja, noting 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 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 content, moving them around especially to Abuja poses serious risk of compromise.

Bringing them to the Tribunal at Osogbo is the best route to facilitating speedy, just and fair hearing of the petition before the Justice Kume led Tribunal.

In its reaction, the APC described the PDP allegations as spurious and laughable.

The spokesperson for the party in the state, Chief Kola Olabisi in a statement in Osogbo, stated that, “the allegation further confirms the fact that not everyone who passes through a school is qualified to be classified as being educated.”

“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 in 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.”