10 Political Parties Seek Cancellation Of Kwara Poll, Petition Jega

SAN FRANCISCO, April 11, (THEWILL) - Ten political parties including the Allied Congress Party of Nigeria (ACPN), the Action Congress Of Nigeria (ACN), Congress For Political Change (CPC) have jointly called for the cancellation of last Saturday’s National Assembly election in Kwara state alleging that the Independent National Electoral Commission INEC connived with the ruling PDP to rig the election.

Citing a number of noticeable hitches in the conduct of the election, the political parties in a joint petition addressed to the INEC chairman acknowledged the good intention of INEC to have a clean break from the past sad electoral experiences, but regretted that the idea could not sail as “evidenced by the wanton malpractices, fraud, intimidation of opponents, employment of fake electoral officials, and connivance of EOS in all the 16 LGAS of the State with the ruling party the PDP.”

Above all, the coalition which also includes the ANPP, DPP, NCP, NTP, ARP, DA, and RPN in the petition alleged that the PDP openly induced voters on the queue with huge sums of money and Ankara. In order instances especially in the rural areas, the petitioners further said corps member assisted in the illegal ballot paper stuffing.

“Multiple registrations that were done by the PDP People Was Not Checkmated Electronically as promised by INEC to the extent that the double voting was employed in the villages. Where already thumb printed Ballot papers were stuffed and counted for the PDP, underplayed blotting booths were accredited and thumb printed ballot papers from such were counted.

“More worrisome was that unused ballot papers in April 2nd 2011 and called National Assembly election were unaccountable for by the State REC and electoral Officers, the same were left in the custody of the electoral officers.

“The electoral officers, in each of the 16 LGA’s of the state never declared balloting booths of the wards before the commencement of the accreditation and voting despite demands for such by the party agents, this was the case in the entire state.”

Further, the petitioners registered that “in most cases we discovered that PDP Agents in the cancelled 2nd April, 2011 elections suddenly became INEC returning officers in the just concluded elections. A good case is the case of wards Babaloma – Share polling booth 009” adding that “In all the polling centres across the State no declaration of accredited voters was done before voting commenced in majority of the polling centres contrary to the electoral Act and electoral guidelines.

“Evidence of Bought over corps members thumb printing ballot papers for the PDP abounds in Babaloma ward 1 Adio village for instance Dr Femi Ogunshola challenged INEC and corps members why it was only PDP agents that were allowed and admitted to sit in each of the polling units, others party agents were driven away.”

Giving on the spot account and evidences of what it described as monumental fraud of the National Asssembly election in Kwara, the petitioners prayed that “that the elections into the National Assembly of 9th April, 2011 be cancelled as same were conducted contrary to the electoral guidelines and in contravention of the electoral Act, alleging the election was rigged by INEC for the ruling PDP in the State.

ACN rejects results of National Assembly election in Kwara

Meanwhile, the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) said it has rejected the results of the National Assembly election held in Kwara State on Saturday, saying the poll was marred by widespread malpractices.

In a statement issued in Abuja today by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party said it would challenge the results in court because it has incontrovertible evidence of intimidation, using military personnel, lack of accreditation in certain areas, thuggery and violence.

It said the PDP in the state hijacked the military personnel posted there to provide security and used them to harass and intimidate opposition supporters in Ekiti and Oke Ero council areas of the state.

''Also in Ifelodun and Isin areas, there was no accreditation in many polling units, while thuggery and violence masterminded by the PDP were the order of the day. Monetary inducements by the PDP were rampant, while cooked results were used to overturn what would have been a resounding defeat for the ruling party in the state,’’ ACN said.

The party also denounced plans by desperate PDP politicians to drag the traditional institution in the state into politics by alleging that the ACN would dethrone the Emir of Ilorin if its governorship candidate is voted into office.

''We are astounded at how low some politicians can sink by employing downright lies and irresponsible scare tactics just to prevent what they can now see as the impending victory of the ACN in the forthcoming gubernatorial election in Kwara.

''We condemn this cheap blackmail, being used as a last joker by drowning politicians who will clutch at anything, including mere straws, to escape the fate that is now inevitable.

''We in the ACN have nothing but the highest respect for the Emirate as well as the person of the Emir. Our candidate is the most blue-blooded person ever to seek the office of Kwara State Governor, and cannot therefore be the one to preside over the dismantling of a much-cherished and highly-respected institution which he is proud to be associated with,'' it said.

ACN said it was particularly sad that the government is using a publicly-owned newspaper, financed by taxpayers' fund, to spread such despicable lies, adding that it is the latest in a series of missteps by the drowning politicians of the PDP in the state.