Ahead of the forthcoming polls, former Governor of Abia State and Progressive Peoples Alliance senatorial candidate for Abia North Senatorial District, Dr. Orji Uzor Kalu, has distributed mobile phones and other ICT devices worth millions of naira to party agents and chieftains across the 17 local government areas of Abia State.
Speaking through his campaign organisation at Arochukwu on Monday, the businessman-cum-politician explained that the devices were deployed to prevent any form of manipulation and rigging by electoral fraudsters during polling.
According to Kalu: “The 2011 general elections in Abia State were characterised by massive rigging and other electoral malpractices.
“The elders and youths have vowed to resist any form of illegal act in the forthcoming polls by educating and deploying sophisticated and user-friendly devices to stakeholders.
“This will assist us in reporting evidence based electoral offences to the Independent National Electoral Commission and security agencies for appropriate actions.
“We are working closely with civil society groups to ensure violence-free and credible elections.”
The former governor, who is scheduled to round off his senatorial campaign on Thursday, added: “Abians are prepared to ensure that the people’s will is not shortchanged by desperate politicians who believe in using the back door to forcefully secure votes.
“The problem Abia State is facing today is that most of the people at the helm were not duly elected by the people but used violence and rigging to force their way into leadership positions.”
Kalu used the opportunity to call on the electorate to vote en masse for President Goodluck Jonathan, adding that the transformation agenda will be consolidated if re-elected for a second term in office.
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