PDP fingers minister, police in plot to rig A/Ibom re-run poll
A serving minister in President Muhammadu Buhari’s cabinet and a deputy inspector general of police have been identified as accomplice in a grand plot to rig the re-run election in Essien Udim Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom state slated for Saturday.
Making this allegation on Thursday, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in a statement raised the alarm over an exposed plot by the All Progressives Congress (APC) to unleash violence on the people and rig the re-run election in the local government.
The party claims it has intelligence on how a serving minister has allegedly compromised a deputy inspector general of police to deploy policemen to invade the local government, unleash unbridled violence and manipulate the electoral process in favour of the APC.
It further claimed that the high ranking police officer allegedly promised the minister that with proper funding, he will do the same thing that was done in Bayelsa state in favour of the APC during the November 17, 2019 governorship election.
As part of the strategy, the PDP alleged that “the deputy inspector general reportedly promised to deploy a more senior police commissioner than the one in Akwa Ibom state to take charge of policemen posted for the election in the local government area and that when that senior police commissioner comes even the state police commissioner will be under his command.
“The plot, which is being heavily funded by the serving minister, also seeks to transfer the state Resident Electoral Commissioner, Mike Iginni and replace him with a pliable and already compromised official.
“This is to be carried out even when there is a subsisting order of the FCT High Court restraining the redeployment of Igini from Akwa Ibom state pending the determination of the case which is still pending.
“Our party invites Nigerians to note the desperation of the serving minister to throw Akwa Ibom state into needless crisis because he has realized that the people at the grassroots have rejected the APC and that there is no way the APC can win in any free, fair and credible election.”
Read Also: Sokoto workers to receive N30,000 minimum wage from January
The party expressed worry that the people of Essien Udim Local Government and the state will sit by, fold their hands and watch compromised security agents invade their communities to rig elections without a corresponding resistance.
It warned that any attempt by the APC to invade the local government to rig this election will indeed attract dire consequences.
