Young Progressives Party (YPP) in Akwa Ibom State has raised the alarm over alleged recruitment of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) members as Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) ad hoc staff for the general election.
Bassey Albert is governorship candidate of the party in the state.
Addressing a press conference in Uyo, Chairman of the party, Nyeneime Andy, said INEC has jettisoned the online recruitment of ad hoc staff as advertised for the forthcoming election and had instead received a list submitted to it by the PDP containing name of beneficiaries of Governor Udom Emmanuel’s entrepreneurship project.
Calling on relevant authorities to investigate the allegation and bring perpetrators to book, Nyeneime warned that if INEC in the state goes into such open collusion to rig the election, the exercise would be a clear case of imposition.
“The latest abnormality is that INEC has jettisoned the online recruitment of ad hoc staff as advertised for the elections and instead blatantly received a list directly from Governor Emmanuel’s led administration.
“Why should INEC accept the recruited PDP personnel and discard those who applied online? We have it on good authority that the list submitted to INEC by PDP contains names of beneficiaries of Governor Emmanuel’s entrepreneurship Ibom 3,000 project. Why is INEC’s head of ICT currently working with the agents of Governor Emmanuel-led administration and his party, the PDP? What does this glaring unholy alliance portend?
“Is INEC not ‘selling’ the election ahead of time to Governor Emmanuel-led administration going by the fact that the personnel that will be involved in carrying out critical functions in the elections are PDP agents?
“This is a matter that INEC must come clean of to earn the trust and confidence of the participating political parties, the electorate, the security agencies and the global community in general in the elections.
“Accordingly, it becomes very expedient for INEC resident electoral commissioner to tell us and other political parties, nay the public, why these undemocratic and reprehensible underhand deals are happening right before its eyes without any punitive action or prosecution whatsoever.
“We, therefore, call on the police, the Department of State Services (DSS), the Directorate of Defence Intelligence (DMI), the international observers and the embassies in Nigeria to take curious interest in the unfolding electoral misdemeanours in Akwa lbom State. We insist this should be thoroughly investigated to bring the perpetrators to book.
“If INEC in Akwa Ibom State goes into this kind of open collusion to rig the forthcoming elections, then the exercise cannot be called election but imposition. It is certainly not INEC, with all the repeated assurances of its National Chairman, Mahmood Yakubu, of free and fair elections, that should be involved in these evil plots against the electorate of Akwa Ibom State, who earnestly desire to freely choose who they want as their governor on March 11 as well as other candidates. These acts constitute pollution and cancer, which must not be allowed to spread.”
Nyeneime assured his party members and Akwa Ibom residents that despite efforts to compromise the election, Bassey would win the poll and provide a people-focused leadership the state needs.