Abia Citizens Raise Alarm Over Plot To Rig Saturday’s Election

The Concerned Abia Citizens has raised concern over alleged plots to manipulate the outcome of the March 18 governorship and house of assembly elections in Abia State.

At a press conference on yesterday in Abuja, the convener of the group, Honest Offor, alleged that PDP has perfected plans to compromise the elections.

Offor said that we have followed very closely the growing atmosphere of intolerance, bigotry, brigandage and threats to life, which the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), has unleashed on the opposition parties in the state since the February 25 election that saw a comprehensive rejection of the party by Ndi Abia.

“We are worried that if not checked, PDP desperation and dastardly acts, are capable of truncating peace and derailing democracy in Abia state. In the weeks leading up to the last election, PDP members have been spreading hate filled rhetoric and whipping up clannish sentiments to divide voters and cause disaffection in a bid to set one region of the state against another region.

There have been countless occasions where the campaign billboards of opposition parties have been pulled down and in fact, the State Signage Agency made it a duty to remove billboards of other political parties even after collecting huge sums as signage permit.

“The desperation of PDP gave way for unbridled paranoia when the party was roundly defeated and rejected by Ndi Abia in the Presidential and National Assembly election.

“The PDP suffered its worst defeat in history in that election and having realized that they have completely lost the trust of the people, the party has now decided to throw caution to the wind and manufacture every trick in the book of infamy including violence and mindless rigging to undermine the integrity of the forthcoming governorship election.

“One of such plans was the hurried removal of Transition Chairmen of select Local Government Areas who were only just recently appointed and replacement of same with pliable political warlords who they believe can implement their rigging plan,” he said.

They said they are also aware of alleged movement of strange persons into the state who have been procured to foment trouble in strongholds of the opposition like Aba.

He stated that Nigeria is a democratic state and citizens including those living in Abia must be allowed to exercise their franchise in line with their conscience and preferences without et or hindrance.

He said the Chairman of INEC Prof. Mahmood Yakubu must caution INEC staff in Abia Stane not to allow themselves to be corrupted or procured by the PDP to subvert the outcome of the gubernatorial election, as any attempt to do this will be vehemently resisted.