APC threatens to quit Saturday’s poll

All Progressives Congress (APC), Enugu chapter, has accused the state Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC’s) Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) of working with the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) to compromise Saturday’s election in the state.

The governorship and State House of Assembly elections are holding across the states of the federation.

But the APC in Enugu accused the state REC, Emeka Ononamadu, of plots to manipulate the election through handing over the result sheets to the ruling party in the state, PDP.

It vowed that it will withdraw from the exercise if INEC did not produce all the original result sheets for the election

The state chairman of the APC, Ben Nwoye made the allegation and the threat when he briefed newsmen in Enugu, accusing the REC and the police of pretending to be fair to all stakeholders in the election when they are not.

He further alleged that PDP agents led by a serving senator from Enugu North senatorial zone of the state, and the party state chairman, Mr. Augustine Nnamani, had taken full possession of all the sensitive electoral materials at the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) office in Enugu.

According to him, before the presence of policemen PDP leaders were removing result sheets before at CBN to various council areas in order to make sure their party have their way on Saturday.

He said on his efforts to know why APC agents were not allowed inside by policemen, that the REC told him that his agents came late, an excuse Nwoye described as false.

“PDP agents, masquerading as agents of the numerous smaller parties were all over CBN having a field day, under the cover of INEC and police”, he said, adding that the policemen even told him that they were acting on instruction from above.

He said from his experience ate the CBN office that it was clear that the state REC and the police were already compromised by PDP.

He then said unless the result sheets were produced by INEC, that the APC would be left with no option than to boycott the election on Saturday.

He said, “We have moved away from vote buying to election and security buying. The REC is pretending to be fair, yet he is not fair. The police is pretending to be fair, yet they are not fair.

“PDP claims they are popular. Why won’t they allow the only strong alternative party to contest? This particular election, if it goes on this way, we will not participate.”

The is coming just as the Appeal Court this Thursday reinstated Ayogu Eze as the governorship candidate of APC in Enugu State, after judgment of a lower court removed him.