The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in Ondo South senatorial district of Ondo State, has berated the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the State of alleged software theft of voters’ cards in the district.
PDP said the action of the APC was to manipulate the forthcoming 2023 general elections in the senatorial district.
In a statement signed and made available to LEADERSHIP by the PDP’s Director of Media and Publicity in the zone, Mr Allen Sowore, the party urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Police, and the state chapter of the PDP to be aware of the dangerous move by the ruling APC to allegedly manipulate the next year’s general elections in the zone.
Sowore, in the statement titled, ‘Fraud Alert: Software Theft Of Voters’ Cards In Ondo South’, asked the security agencies to check alleged move to collect voters’ data in order to steal their identities in the electorate.
It said, “This is to officially call the attention of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the Nigeria Police Force and most importantly, the general public to the ongoing illegal, clandestine and cunning collection of personal data of voters’ cards of the electorates across the six local government areas of Ondo South Senatorial District through the issuance of a purported “Social Welfare Card” christened card Àseyori’ by the members of the ruling All Progressives Congress, (APC) and its Senatorial candidate, Dr Jimoh Ibrahim.
“The card specifically demands the applicant’s name, address, local government , voter’s number, ward and unit The implications of this is that the unsuspecting applicants would willingly surrendered the same data and information already supplied to INEC to the APC for easy access and possible software theft of their Voters’ Cards.
“This public alert becomes imperative because under the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended), only the Federal Government through its agencies is vested with such power to collect vital personal citizens’ identities and information. Ultimately, this is tantamount to surreptitious software theft of data on voters’ cards by the ruling party in Ondo state to prepare the ground for scientific rigging of the 2023 General Elections.
“It, therefore, behoves the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as a critical stakeholder in the forthcoming election to urge the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Nigeria Police Force, the State Security Services and other security agencies to nib this ugly situation in the bud by putting a halt to this illegality immediately, and bring the perpetrators to justice.”
But reacting to the allegations, APC’s Director of Media and Publicity, Mr Steve Otaloro, described the allegations as a lie from the pit of hell as there was no way the election can be manipulated with the use of technology to be deployed by INEC.
Otaloro said the use of BVAS for the conduct of elections has made it practically impossible to manipulate election as the power to elect or reject candidates now lie with the electorate.
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