The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) says more facts have emerged on the
connivance of some officials of the Independent National Electoral
Commission (INEC) and the All Progressives Congress (APC) to deny
non-indigenes in APC controlled states of their Permanent Voter Cards
(PVCs) for the February 14, 2015 general elections.
PDP National Publicity Secretary, Olisa Metuh in a statement on Thursday
described the development as a crime against the electoral process
adding that the party has received overwhelming evidence from citizens
in APC states following its earlier alarm that non-indigenes who form
the bulk of PDP supporters in Lagos were being denied their PVCs.
The PDP said apart from Lagos, the same scandalous practice is also
being perpetrated in other APC controlled states including Kano.
“Since our alert on Lagos state, we have continued to receive calls and
comments from citizens from local governments and wards in APC states
confirming that the collaboration between some INEC officials and the
APC to shut out non-indigenes in the states, made up mainly of our
supporters, is deeper than earlier thought.
“Indeed, this inexcusable misconduct is also being perpetrated in Kano,
Edo, Sokoto, Kebbi, Nasarawa, Kwara among other APC controlled states
where fraudulent INEC officials and the APC are orchestrating hitches to
disenfranchise non-indigenes.
“Evidence of this crime abounds in Alimosho and Amuwo-Odofin Local
Governments of Lagos states; Nasarawa Local Government and Sabon Gari
area of Kano state as well as other strategic places where PVCs
belonging to non-indigenes are even burnt to ensure that they did not
get to their rightful owners.
“We know that the aim is to deny the PDP of its well-deserved victory in
APC states since over 90 percent of these non-indigenes are supporters
of the PDP and will vote enmasse for President Goodluck Jonathan and
other candidates of our great party at the elections. We are aware of a
script already prepared to rationalize the eventual non-participation of
the non-indigenes by attributing it to voter apathy”, the party said.
Urging its supporters in the affected states to remain calm and law
abiding as usual, the PDP charged the leadership of INEC to take
immediate steps to halt the trend and ensure that its officials involved
in this crime are arrested and prosecuted. The PDP stressed that “any
delay in this direction is capable of sending a wrong signal to the
electorate and other stakeholders in the 2015 elections”.
The party also urged INEC to reinforce the confidence in the process by
ensuring that all eligible voters received their PVCs accordingly.