The All Progressives Congress (APC) has decried
the delay in distributing the permanent voters
cards to registered voters in the state ahead of the
Aug. 9th 2014 governorship election in Osun state,
warning that it might be a ploy to disenfranchise
voters.
”INEC has been painfully slow in processing the
permanent voters cards, and one can only hope
that the electoral body is not doing this
deliberately to disenfranchise voters, especially in
opposition strongholds,” the party said in a
statement issued in Lagos on Sunday by its
National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed.
”The slow processing of the permanent voters
cards has in particular hit the Central Senatorial
District of the State, and has affected those who
had earlier registered as well as those who
registered this year,” it said.
APC said INEC has continued to tell those who
throng its offices in the state to collect their
permanent voters cards that the cards are not
ready, without giving an indication of when they
will be ready for collection.
”If INEC has no diabolical plan, then it should
speed up the processing of the permanent voters
cards. We say this based on
the reported announcement by the REC in Osun
State that whoever does not possess a permanent
voters card will not be allowed to vote in the Aug.
9th election,” the party said.
It urged INEC to maintain its neutrality during the
forthcoming election, and to ensure it does not do
anything that can affect the credibility of the
commission or the integrity of the election.
APC recalled that a few days before the Ekiti
governorship election on June 19th, INEC Chairman
Attahiru Jega had told stakeholders that the
commission would use colour-code ballot papers
to ensure that ballots meant for one local
government are not taken to another.
”However, not only did INEC not use colour-coded
ballot papers in the Ekiti election, it never felt the
need to explain its sudden volte-face. This is a
blow to the integrity of INEC and we hope it won’t
be repeated,” the party said.
Meanwhile, the APC has raised the alarm over a
multi-pronged strategy by the federal authorities to
skew the forthcoming gubernatorial election in
Osun State favour of the PDP, just like they did in
Ekiti State last month.
The party said the dubious strategy by the federal
authorities involves using the military and other
security agencies to lock down the state days
ahead of voting as well as an ongoing starving of
the state of funds so it cannot meet its obligations.
”Whereas Ekiti was locked down about three days
to the election in the state, indications are that
Osun will be locked down at least a week before
the state’s poll, while the security agencies will
again be used to harass, intimidate and arrest
opposition politicians just like they did with
impunity in Ekiti.
”We are raising the alarm now so the world can
see that any election can only be described as free
and fair if the entire process is transparent and not
skewed in favour of any of the parties. We insist
that election is a process, and that whatever
happens on election day is only but a part of the
whole.
”Therefore, we demand a level playing field for all
the candidates before, during and after the Osun
election. We reject any plan to use of the military
and other security agencies to lock down the state
and to harass, intimidate and arrest opposition
members. We call on local and international
observers to take note of these and other
anomalies ahead of the Osun poll,” it said.

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