We have uncovered PDP’s rigging manual, APC says

The All Progressives Congress (APC) yesterday said it has uncovered what it called the PDP’s manual to rig Saturday’s governorship election in Osun State. APC national chairman John Odigie-Oyegun alleged at a news conference in Osogbo that the rigging plans were contained in two documents prepared by the Peoples Democratic Party in Osun. He said his party had obtained copies of the documents, which were marked ‘Highly Confidential’ and Task Force Operation (PDP) takeover of Osun’. Odigie-Oyegun said the first document contains “a meticulous outline of plans to rig the election, polling unit by polling unit, using pre-programmed ballot papers already designed and thumb printed with vanishing ink in favor of PDP.”

The second document, he alleged, listed actions to be taken at most parts of the state, including “thuggery, snatching of ballot boxes, instigation of violent clashes and arrests to pave the way for such actions.”

But the Osun State chapter of the PDP dismissed the allegations as untrue.

At the news conference in Osogbo, the APC national chairman Odigie-Oyegun said the alleged rigging documents contain pre-allotted votes for each local government to make up a total 406,116 in favour of the PDP.

This is broken down among the LGAs as follows: Atakumosa East (10,000), Atakumosa West (10,000), Ayedaade (15,000), Ayedire (10,000), Boluwaduro (5,000), Boripe (10,000), Ede North (10,130), Ede South (10,000), Egbedore (10,000), Ejigbo (15,000), Ife Central (35,000), Ifedayo (7,000), Ife East (33,018), Ifelodun (15,000) and Ife North (20,000).

Others are: Ife South (20,000), Ila (10,000), Ilesa East (10,000), Ilesa West (10,340), Irepodun (10,007), Irewole (20,105), Isokan (10,000), Iwo (15,000), Obokun (10,203), Odo-Otin (10,107), Ola-Oluwa (5,070), Olorunda (15,000), Oriade (10,000), Orolu (7,936) and Osogbo (28,000).

Odigie-Oyegun also said the alleged documents contains the plan to “de-register” 47,000 voters whose voter numbers have been acquired.

He said the “rigging” plan mentions deployment of specified numbers of ballot papers and ink in 1,195 polling units across all the LGA in the state.

The APC chairman said alleged that the rigging plan is intended to be executed in collaboration with election officials, with the backing of security agents.

In a reaction, the PDP spokesman in Osun said APC was rainsing false allegations and that the PDP was committed to free and fair election.

Director of Publicity of PDP in the state, Prince Diran Odeyemi, said APC is only afraid of defeat and that its candidate, Governor Rauf Aregbesola, would lose the election.

“If APC said there is a plan to rig the election, then they should congratulate us for our deserved victory in the poll,” he said.

“The allegation is not true. We believe in one man one vote, and that is what will happen on Saturday and our candidate will win the election.”