Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke
Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, and the candidate of the All Progressives Congress in the forthcoming governorship poll, Bola Oyebamiji, on Thursday traded accusations over an alleged plot by politicians to buy Permanent Voter Cards from the unsuspecting electorate in the state.
Adeleke, in a statement signed by his spokesperson, Olawale Rasheed, raised the alarm, alleging that there was a coordinated, illegal operation by the Osun APC to buy up people’s PVCs and extract PIN numbers from the cards to disenfranchise voters on August 15.
The governor, who subsequently warned against illegal and anti-democratic activities targeted at compromising voters’ registers, called the attention of the electoral commission to the untoward development.
In a swift reaction, Oyebamiji, who spoke at a rally in Osogbo, the state capital, where Sabo Market traders declared support for his governorship ambition, alleged that some individuals were offering PVC owners in the state money in exchange for their cards.
Oyebanji, who urged people to resist any monetary offer in exchange for their PVCs, assured the traders of support in the form of grants if elected governor of the state.
But Adeleke insisted that information at his disposal indicated that APC members in the state were going around to harvest PVC pins of the unsuspecting electorate.
“APC agents are extracting the PIN numbers on the voters cards through offering of monetary rewards. I warn that the operation is targeting local governments with huge followership of the Accord Party. The plot is to ensure massive dislocation of registered voters from their place of registration such as from one town to the other and thereby making it impossible for such voters to vote on the day of the election.
“In some other local governments, the APC agents insisted on the voters swearing an oath to take inducement to secure the pin numbers or a photocopy of the voters cards, charging voters not to fall for an evil plot to deny them their voting rights.
“I task the electoral body not to look the other way. We have reports of insider collusion which we are still investigating. Any link between the pin numbers on the voters card and manipulations of the voting process is a source of concern for us. We trust the electoral body to act,” the statement read.
Oyebamiji, in veiled reference to the party in government in the state, said those allegedly buying PVCs directly from the electorate in the state refused to take care of the people in the last three years of being in the saddle, enjoining the people to reject their overtures.
He further said, “I, Munirudeen Oyebamiji, assure you that I will not disappoint you by the grace of God. I urge you to keep your Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) and never sell them to anyone. What some people are doing now is buying PVCs indirectly.
“They are inviting young people to local government offices under the pretext of offering appointment letters, collecting their account details and transferring money to them. The money they fail to provide over the past three years is now being used to deceive the people. Do not be deceived.
“We will not make promises we cannot keep. I assure you that the Bola Munirudeen Oyebamiji administration will be an inclusive government. We will consult with market leaders and communities, asking what is happening in Sabo Market, what your needs are, and what government should do. We will not seek your votes and then abandon you after the election. Our government will belong to everyone.”
The electorate in Osun will be going to the poll on Saturday, August 15 to elect governor, in an election, where the incumbent helmsman, Ademola Adeleke, is seeking re-election on the platform of the Accord Party.
Oyebamiji of the All Progressives Congress and Najeem Salaam, running on the platform of African Democratic Congress, alongside 11 other candidates have also been cleared by the Independent National Electoral Commission to participate in the poll.
The Punch
