Ekiti PDP members accuse INEC - Allegation is baseless, say INEC

Dapo Falade, Ado-Ekiti - 30.11.2007

SOME members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Irepodun-Ifelodun Local Government Area of Ekiti State on Wednesday led a peaceful rally to the Governor’s Office protesting an alleged underhand moves by the Independent National Electoral Commission(INEC) to upturn the victory of the party in the last election into the House of Representatives.

The protesters, numbering about 100 and led by the vice chairman of the party in the local government area, Mr. Jacob Abidakun, claimed that the state chapter of the Action Congress (AC), in connivance with the electoral body, planned to change the result of the election which returned Mrs. Fatimo Raji-Rasaki as the lawmaker representing Ekiti Central federal constituency in the House of Representatives.

Speaking on the essence of the protest, Mr. Abidakun said he led the rally to register their grievances over a recent media report credited to an AC aspirant to the House of Representatives, Mr. George Ojo, to the effect that the PDP lost out in Wards A, B and C in Igede-Ekiti during the election.

“The National Assembly election was peacefully conducted in Wards A, B and C in Igede-Ekiti and the PDP won in each of the wards by over 80 votes.

“But we were surprised when Ojo told the election petition tribunal that the PDP won only five and four votes in Wards B and C respectively and the INEC was conniving with him by seeking to upturn the number of votes won by the PDP.

Responding, the governor appealed to the protesters not to take the law into their hands, but should remain calm so as not to fall into the trap set by those he described as enemies of peace.

Meanwhile, the state Resident Electoral Commissioner, Dr. Gabriel Okafor, has described the allegation as baseless. He added that the electoral body remained an unbiased umpire out to promote the rule of law and also serve the interest of all parties in the bid to promote the growth of the democratic process.

Also, in his reaction to the allegation, the state chairman of the AC said that his politial party, more than any other party, believed in the rule of law, adding that he and other AC members woukld never be involved in such a criminality.

“Itis a known fact that thePDPand the INEC have always been partners in electoral crime and fraud. The PDP is now crying wolf where there is none in the face of their imminent defeat at the tribunals,” he said.