Rose Ejembi, Makurdi
The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in Benue State has raised the alarm over an alleged plot by the leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state, Sen. George Akume to rig the supplementary election in favour of the APC governorship candidate, Emmanuel Jime.
But reacting, the APC in the state, through its acting Publicity Secretary, James Ornguga, while describing the PDP in Benue as an alarmist party wondered why it would continue to accuse the APC leader for no just cause.
Addressing a press conference on Monday in Makurdi, the PDP Chairman in the state, Sir John Ngbede, alleged that Senator Akume had boasted at several meetings he had held with the APC members and stalwarts that the result of the supplementary election to be held in the state would be declared in favour of his party’s governorship candidate whether he wins it or not.
Ngbede also alleged that Akume had assured his supporters that the party would be conniving with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), mobile policemen and other security agents and with the help of thugs as well as militia to hijack election materials for the supplementary elections and thumb-printed ballots which would then be returned and announced as the results giving victory to Emmanuel Jime.
“He (Akume) particularly assured his followers that the national leadership of APC with the backing of the Presidency has already infiltrated INEC and Emmanuel Jime will be announced as governor of the state without the supplementary governorship election holding, and that this will be achieved through already-doctored results which would be compiled by INEC returning officers and staff who were already being posted to the affected polling units.
“Senator Akume has also boasted to his followers and Benue APC leaders that he had secured the backing of the Presidency which had authorised relevant security agencies, through their heads, to do everything possible to return Emmanuel Jime as governor of Benue State at the coming supplementary election.
“As a direct consequence of the actions of Senator George Akume, the leadership of APC in Benue State has taken to airing views boldly in the public domain that the result of the March 23 supplementary election would be declared in favour of Emmanuel Jime, regardless of whether Governor Samuel Ortom of the PDP wins by another landslide as he did in the first round of the governorship election.
“Such views of the APC in Benue State have severally been aired on social media platforms, mostly from their media handlers, including the acting state Publicity Secretary of the party, Mr. James Ornguga, who in one of such posts, warned openly that APC would manufacture votes above those declared cancelled by INEC and up for contest in the coming supplementary election.”
The PDP therefore, called on the Presidency, the Inspector General of Police, the Department of State Security, as well as the relevant agencies to use their good offices and act with utmost sense of duty to call Senator Akume and other leaders of the APC in Benue State to order in the best interest of peace and security as well as the preservation of democracy.
But Ornguga, in a telephone chat with our correspondent, described PDP’s allegation as laughable, saying since he was said to have lost his senatorial bid, Akume had publicly made a statement once to encourage his supporters and had been quiet since then.
“The best thing they (PDP) do is accuse Akume even when he hasn’t done anything. Since after the first election when Akume was said to have lost his senatorial election, he came to Makurdi and gave a public statement only once encouraging APC supporters.
“So, for the PDP to come out and make such grave allegation is laughable because they cannot point at anyone with evidence that Akume has said anything. Their fear is that in giving the electoral guidelines, INEC has said clearly that where the card reader was not used, it would be counted as zero votes.
“So, we went into the election and voted with card readers while the PDP disobeyed the rule and deliberately abandoned the use of card reader, manufacturing fake figures that gave the governor a lead margin.
“APC is now saying since the results have not been declared and the winner returned, those places where voting took place in areas where card readers were not used should be canceled.
“That is our position and it hasn’t changed. And that is why they are accusing all of us. They are shifting away from the main issue. It happened in Bauchi, Rivers and we are sure it will happen in Benue too so that our candidate can have a clear win.”