Assembly poll: Soludo denies spending N3.5bn state funds to buy votes

By Christiana Ekpa

Anambra State Governor, Prof Chukwuma Soludo has denied that he spent N3.5 billion of state funds to buy votes during last Saturday’s House of Assembly election.

A rights group, the International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law (Intersociety) had in a press statement signed by its Chairman Board of Trustees, Mr Emeka Umeagbalasi accused Soludo of disbursing state funds to stakeholders, to work for the election of candidates of his party; the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) for the March 18 poll.

But Soludo, reacting through his Press Secretary, Mr Christian Aburime, said the rumour was false, and could not have been true.

Aburime in a statement he signed and issued in Awka on Monday described the rumour as “satanic, despicable and illogical”.

He said: “N3.5 billion could not be disbursed at a time when the society was passing through a cashless phase.

“The allegation is further baseless against the background that it is coming at a time of acute shortage of cash due to the Federal Government Naira Redesign Policy which sadly exposes the devilish intentions of the writer(s).

“Anambra people are advised to disregard the group which made the allegations as it had been known to be serial blackmailers over the years and do not serve any useful purpose to society.

“Governor Soludo does not need to buy votes to win an election. He is a Democrat who enjoys the overwhelming support of the good people of Anambra State.”

Ogun guber: PDP asks INEC Chairman to reverse result declaration

By Musa Baba Adamu

The Peoples Democratic Party in Ogun State has called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to reverse its verdict on the outcome of Saturday’s governorship election.

INEC had declared that the All Progressives Congress (APC) won the Ogun election.

But the PDP said the mandate of the masses given to the party had been stolen.

At a press conference on Monday, the PDP Chairman in Ogun, Sikirulahi Ogundele, said INEC was in unpatriotic connivance with the ruling All

Progressives Congress (APC), adding that the security agencies provided support, alleging that they “brazenly rigged the results of the governorship and house of assembly elections.”

Ogundele stated that the police, the military and other security agents ”provided virile cover for gun-wielding criminals to disrupt and burn ballot boxes in over 100 polling units across the State.”

It was said that the party had, before the election, alerted security agencies of the “devilish plans” to launch a large-scale disruption of electoral process and possible snatching of ballot boxes in any polling units perceived to be

PDP’s stronghold.

“But despite our warnings, those who should be at the forefront of confronting these assaults aided them,” Ogundele regretted.

He expressed concern that the Chairman of a local government, who was arrested with AK47 automatic rifle and other condiments, was released within one hour.

He also said leaders of transport unions in Ogun, “Efele and Danny were arrested leading criminal squads to disrupt polling units only to be released within one hour.”

The party Chairman maintained that that Saturday’s election was heavily characterized with unprecedented violence in several local government areas like Sagamu, “where 54 polling units were attacked by APC sponsored thugs and ballot boxes and other sensitive election materials were carted away and burnt to ashes.”

It was added that similar occurrences took place in 14 local government including: Odogbolu, Remo North, Ipokia, Ogun Waterside, Ikenne, Abeokuta South, Abeokuta North, Ado Odo Ota, Ifo, Ijebu East, Ijebu North East, Obafemi Owode and Ijebu Ode. A total of 14 local governments out of the 20.

APC rejects Bauchi guber result, asks INEC to probe widespread electoral fraud

By Ikechukwu Okaforadi

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has rejected the result of Saturday’s governorship election in Bauchi state.

This is coming barely hours after the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared the incumbent governor, Bala Mohammed the winner at the end of results collation on Monday.

The ruling party alleged widespread cases of overvoting, massive electoral fraud, thuggery, harassment, intimidation, and violence that marred the Bauchi State Governorship election.

The spokesperson of the APC, Barr. Felix Morka in a press statement on Monday believed that the election was characterized by so many irregularities such as over voting and harassment of eligible voters among other malpractices.

He called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to expeditiously investigate reports that its Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) was compromised in many voting units and cancel invented results of affected polling units in the state.

“Specifically, in Alkaleri, Kirfi, Toro, Warji, Ningi and Zaki Local Government Areas of Bauchi State which recorded widespread violence, overvoting and massive rigging against the All Progressives Congress (APC) Governorship Candidate, Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar (Rtd.), it is perplexing that inexplicable massive figures were invented in polling units in which voting didn’t take place, and in which results were never collated.

“Extensive cancellations of polling units results in APC

Candidate’s strongholds were made without valid justification, except to depress his vote count and give undue advantage to the PDP candidate, the incumbent Governor, Bala Abdulkadir Mohammed.

“Specifically in Alkaleri LGA, APC polling units’ Agents were chased away by Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) thugs who took control of affected polling units and thumb-printed ballot papers without BVAS accreditation, and results were gratuitously awarded and written up without voting, as mandated by law. The bogus “result” in the same Alkaleri LGA with recorded and verifiable over-voting, and in which INEC’s returning officer was molested and threatened at gun point to sign the “result” sheet was irregularly collated and used in the declaration of final result of the election in the state.

“In one of the many brazen cases recorded by polling unit agents, a reportedly serving PDP Commissioner in the state was captured buying votes in open and full glare of cameras, citizens, and assisted by security officials that bore a constitutional duty to arrest and take the criminal into custody for further investigation and prosecution.

“The APC rejects the invented election figures and INEC’s declaration of the Governor-elect in Bauchi State, and calls on INEC to cancel the election in the afore-mentioned LGAs that were characterized by over-voting, destruction of electoral materials, harassment, intimidation, and widespread violence and other irregularities in line with its power to review declaration of result within 7 days under Section 65 of the Electoral Act” the statement concluded.

Presidential, NASS polls: Imo PDP saboteurs did anti party –Anyanwu

By Musa Baba Adamu

National Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Senator Samuel Nnaemeka Anyanwu on Monday expressed displeasure over the existence of saboteurs in the party in Imo State, adding that all their efforts are tailored towards the liquidation of PDP in the state.

Anyanwu said the primary objective of the alleged saboteurs during the just concluded presidential and National Assembly elections was to starve the party and its members of funds earlier approved and released as election intervention funds.

The PDP scribe stated this in a statement, signed by the Special Adviser (Media) to the National Secretary of PDP, Ikenna Onuoha, made available to journàlists in Owerri, Imo State capital.

He regretted that all entreaties, appeals and convictions to release the funds approved to appropriate authorities in line with the national template to enable them to deliver candidates of the party were flagrantly ignored, noting that the ulterior motive of the saboteurs was to frustrate PDP by ensuring that its candidates lose the election.

According to him: “After hijacking the election intervention funds released to the party in Imo State, some of the saboteurs turned against candidates of PDP and played anti-party [politics] in order to justify the deal they had with leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC).”

The PDP national scribe, therefore, called on the party’s candidates and other aggrieved members who were betrayed by saboteurs to remain calm, assuring that all legal means shall be utilized to bring those directly and indirectly involved to book.