Ekiti: PDP, APC trade words over voter bribery

The two leading political parties in the June 21 governorship election in Ekiti State, the Peoples Democratic Party and the All Progressives Congress, are accusing each other of mopping up voter cards ahead of the poll. While the PDP alleges that the ruling APC has begun buying voter card for N2,000 each, the APC says the opposition party is enticing the electorate with bags of rice. In fact, the standard-bearer of the PDP in the election, Ayo Fayose, on his Twitter handle accuses the APC of foul play. Fayose, who regrets the turn of events, describes as “desperate” the move by the APC to manipulate the outcome of the election. Writing on his Twitter page, the former governor, who left office in October 2006, states that no amount of money is enough for the Ekiti people to mortgage their future to some desperate politicians. “Please keep your voter cards. N2,000 is too small to sell your future. No amount is worth your future,” he writes while appealing to the electorate. However, the APC has dismissed the PDP’s claim, saying there is no truth in the allegation. The APC through its Interim Deputy National Secretary, Nasir el-Rufai, reacts to the allegation. Fighting back, el-Rufai says the PDP should take the blame for any attempt at manipulating the electoral process in Ekiti State. According to him, Fayose and the PDP are in a coordinated move to buy over voters by distributing customised bags of rice to students, artisans and market men and women. To buttress his point, the APC leader posts a picture of an indigene of the state carrying a medium-sized bag of rice with the logo of the PDP and the inscription, “Ekiti 2014: Vote Ayo Fayose for Governor.” The obviously enraged el-Rufai, regrets that the “destiny” of all the beneficiaries of the food item “is worth a small bag of rice.” He alleges that the PDP is only interested in bribing its way to power with the intention of looting the state treasury. “The Peoples Democratic Party bribes you in one day and then loots treasury for the next four years,” he alleges in a message on his Twitter page. Worried by the development, the Independent National Electoral Commission has warned politicians to desist from buying voter cards from the electorate. A message on the INEC official Twitter account quotes its Chairman, Prof. Attahiru Jega, as urging all players in the Ekiti electoral process to play by the rules. Jega restates the illegality of the act and asks relevant security agencies to spring into action in order to arrest anyone found culpable. “It is illegal to buy votes or pay people to vote and it is the responsibility of the security agencies to make arrests,” Jega says. He adds that the commission is working hard to ensure that the state is safe and secure enough for voters to come out and exercise their franchise on Saturday. The INEC boss notes that the electoral body has “done quite a lot”, especially in collaboration with security agencies to guarantee peaceful elections in the country. According to him, the commission is reaching out to stakeholders in the state based on its believe that sensitisation is key to actualising a successful poll. “All security challenges will be addressed as we conduct elections in Ekiti on June 21. We are working very hard with security agencies to protect our young men and women who work during elections. Our staff and materials will be adequately secured and the environment safe enough for voters to come out and vote,” Jega adds. The commission also enjoins the electorate who have yet to take possession of their permanent voter cards to do so before the Saturday poll. It explains that only the electorate who registered in the area where he/she intends to vote and possesses a registration card obtained during voter registration exercise will be allowed to cast their vote. “A voter is expected to cast his/her vote at the polling unit where their names reflect on the voter register. If you have not collected your permanent voter card, please go and collect it now,” INEC warns. On preparations for the 2015 general elections, the commission notes that plans have reached advanced stage to create additional 30,000 polling units. This, it argues, will help to deal with the issue of rowdiness during elections as well as bring polling units closer to residences of eligible voters and facilitate easy access on Election Day.[PUNCH]