Agents of the Labour Party at Ikenegbu areas of Owerri Municipal Council in Imo State Girls Polling Unit in the Owerri municipal council protested the alleged swapping of Polling Unit officers already trained on how to make use of the BVAS on Election Day.
This development caused an uproar as the party said it was the INEC‘s plan to rig the election in favour of the APC, reports The Nation.
A man who described himself as Madu, one of the potential voters who said he is a member of the Labour Party said that it was surprising that the PU personnel already deployed to the voting centre were changed this morning.
When contacted, the spokesperson for the Labour Party’s governorship candidate, Chibuikem Diala, said that INEC was doing the same thing in all parts of the state.
He said that the campaign organization had discovered that the actual PU officers already trained by INEC were dropped at the last minute and people who did not take part in the INEC’s training were deployed to conduct the election.
He said: “The Senator Athan Achonu Media Centre wishes to alert security agents and patriotic INEC staff, especially those sent from outside Owerri for this election, about plans already concluded to compromise the BVAs for use for today’s election by the RATECH team.
“A reliable intel from some LGAs in Owerri Federal Constituency has uncovered plans by the technical team in those LGAs discussing about issuing wrong passwords to some of the ad hoc staff for this election.
“Specifically, this devious plan was being discussed at the Owerri Municipal and Owerri North Local Government Areas where the Head of the RATECH team has concluded plans to issue wrong passwords to PO especially those posted to polling units with large voters. According to the source, the instruction is to ensure that some of the BVAS malfunction at the Polling Units.
“The purpose is to either generate a fake result or frustrate the voting process in specific areas where the riggers do not have a strong presence. This is shameful and devilish.
“All party agents in every booth and ward, as well as voters should hold the ‘RATHEC Team responsible, not the POs, wherever BVA password is wrong because it has been compromised. We also urge all POs to escalate this criminality wherever it is found.
“The agents and indeed all Imo Voters must resist this and insist that the proper thing is done.
“We vehemently condemn this evil plot and call on the INEC Commissioners we have been told were seconded to the state to ensure a free, fair, and smooth exercise to forestall this, as the opposition parties can never accept it.
“We request that the head of the RATECH team in Owerri Federal Constituency and indeed all other LGAs should be cautioned before they discredit a process that is meant to yield positive outcomes.
“We also charge security operatives to ensure that compromised INEC staff do not create a crisis during this electoral exercise.”
The spokesperson of INEC, Emmanuella Opara could not be reached for a reaction.
