The Ekiti State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party has asked the Independent National Electoral Commission to protect ballot papers used during the just concluded state assembly election.
The party, in a letter to the state Resident Electoral Commissioner, Ayo Olumekun, alleged that the All Progressives Congress in the state has perfected plans to tamper with the materials.
In a release made available to newsmen on Saturday, the Chairman of the PDP in the state, Chief Idowu Faleye, further alleged that the APC had concluded plans to conspire with some officials of the INEC to void some votes that were counted for the PDP in the election.
Reacting to the allegation, the Publicity Secretary of APC in Ekiti State, Chief Taiwo Olatunbosun, described it as “unfounded”.
Olatubosun said it is a “rumour that is existing in the imagination of the person saying that”.
Olatunbosun, who spoke on the telephone, said: “This might be a pointer to what they are doing or what they attempt to do because we know nothing about what they are talking about.
“PDP should be thoroughly monitored by INEC since they are saying this because they’re master riggers.
“When they are trying to do something, they blame it on innocent groups or persons.”
According Faleye, there has been a wide speculation that the APC has already moved their men to the INEC office to perfect the plans as put down by the leadership of their party.
He added: “This is not a new strategy of the opposition party because they did the same thing immediately after the 2007 election which was then termed as voting after voting by the PDP, so this time around we shall resist this undemocratic tendencies.”
Faleye stressed further that the opposition party has never been happy with Ekiti State people since their governorship candidate, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, was defeated in the June 21, 2014 election won by Ayodele Fayose.
He added: “From their activities since then, it has been one day one trouble being orchestrated by their leadership. The APC lawmakers’ activities in the recent time is one of the grand plan to destabilize Ekiti State as long as Governor Ayodele Fayose is in charge.
“Despite the fact that a life has been lost through their bullet on the day set aside to carry out their inglorious impeachment process against the governor, the former speaker, Dr Adewale Omirin and his colleagues in APC are still head-bent on going ahead with the plan even if everybody in Ekiti will die.”
Faleye warned the APC lawmakers to desist from causing chaos and breach of peace, urging them to cooperate with the governor for the betterment of the state and peace and progress of the people.
He added: “Ekiti people are angrily waiting for the APC lawmakers’ next negative move against the mandate freely given to Governor Ayodele Fayose, and should anything happen to them, it should be counted as their own responsibility.”
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