Imo State gubernatorial candidate of Labour Party, Senator Athan Achonu, has accused the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC) of scheming to use the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to compromise the November 11 poll.
Achonu made the claim while addressing newsmen yesterday, maintaining that INEC must conduct elections in all the polling units in the state.
According to him, the APC had perfected plans to use INEC staffers to compromise the outcome of the poll, adding that it must be resisted by the people of Imo state.
Further, the former senator said his campaign organization and Labour Party had rejected any plan by the electoral umpire to use the local government areas headquarters as the collation centres in areas where the INEC offices were razed.
Achonu maintained that the electoral umpire must chose neutral venues like primary schools as collation centres for the affected council areas.
He said; “INEC should ensure they provide adequate security in all polling units and collation centres in Imo state so that no eligible voter is disenfranchised.
“It is no longer secret that there are reports (allegations) of APC perfecting plans to influence INEC Polling Officers and ad hoc staff. We officially put INEC on notice that the APC is planning heavily to Influence the outcome of the election through compromised ad hoc staff and a few corrupt officials”.
However, in a swift reaction, the spokesperson for the APC in Imo state, Cajetan Duke, said the LP and the other opposition parties stood no chance in the election.
According to him, Governor Hope Uzodimma has performed excellently and had campaigned in all the nooks and crannies of the state to deserve victory at the poll.
Duke said Achonu had seen the hand writing on the wall that the overwhelming majority of the state’s populace were ready to return Uzodimma on November 11 hence the alarm they had raised that the APC was working to rig the election.
