The All Progressives Congress (APC) has accused Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki of planning to rig the September 21 governorship election in cahoots with the Edo State Security Network, also known as vigilante.
The APC, in a statement by Prince Kassim Afegbua, Director, Media, APC Campaign Council, said the party was alerting the public, the electorate and concerned citizens of the state about the alleged government’s plan to rig the election, using the security network as a gambit.
“We have been inundated with calls from well-meaning Edo electorate of his game plan to use threat, intimidation and harassment to disenfranchise Edo electorate from exercising their right at the elections,” he said.
He also alleged that the state government had been recruiting more hands into the security network, with the sole motive of empowering them for the underhand assignment of rigging the election by intimidation.
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“We are aware that the state government has now started producing police uniforms and mlitary uniforms which the members of the Edo Security Network will be made to wear on the said day of the election, to disguise as real police officers and military personnel; to assist them in carrying out their pernicious assignment,” Afegbua alleged.
He added that some citizens with moral rectitude, who were invited for briefing at the Government House on Monday, raised concerns about this plot and turned down the job offer.
Kassim called on the military authorities and the Inspector-General of Police to carry out investigations on the allegations and forestall the breakdown of law and order in the state.
Responding, Governor Godwin Obaseki said the APC was afraid of defeat and had cooked up lies to veil its plan to rig the election.
A statement by the Special Adviser to the Edo State Governor on Media Projects, Crusoe Osagie, urged the public to disregard the allegation, describing it as complete falsehood.
He also described the APC allegation as another failed attempt to mislead the public and distract them from its devious plan to rig the election, having realized that the party had lost favour with the people and could not win in a free and fair contest.
“It is rather laughable and interesting that the very thing the APC is already doing is what they are claiming that other persons are doing,” he said.
He however called on the police, the military and other security agencies to ensure a level playing field and guarantee a free, fair and credible election in Edo State.
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