Chuks Onuoha,Umuahia
The All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Abia State chapter, has raised the alarm over alleged plans by the state government and the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) to rig the rescheduled elections in the state.
The alarm was raised, last Sunday, by the state Chairman of APGA, Rev. Augustine Ehiemere, who addressed newsmen in his office, along Bank Road, Umuahia.
Represented by his deputy, Chima Onyekwere, Ehiemere warned that the plan, if carried out, will not only deny Abia people the opportunity to exercise their democratic rights in choosing their leaders, through the ballots, but, also, may trigger a chain of violent events that may endanger the lives of the public as they file out to cast their votes.
APGA claimed that reliable sources within the Abia State Government revealed that the rigging plots would be executed by high-ranking government officials.
The strategies, according to the party, would include use of fake military uniforms and Toyota Hilux fraudulently branded in army colour, as well as invasion of strategic election centres, to forcefully seize election results through the use of fake security agents.
APGA equally warned of plans to attack the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) officials, who refuse to compromise and bribing of election officials with not less than N1 billion to secure original critical sensitive INEC result sheets.
The party further alleged that identified PDP members had been appointed as returning officers and burning of more INEC offices as was recently done at Umuika, Isialangwa South Local Government Area. It alerted Abians on the recent arrest of a suspect in Umuahia, who was alleged to be in possession of INEC result sheets and Governor Okezie Ikpeazu’s letterheads, and allegedly implicated an aid to the governor. The party called on security agents to be alive to their responsibilities to forestall activities of hoodlums during the polls, adding that it was disappointed by the postponement of the Presidential and National Assembly elections by INEC.