The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Edo State has accused the All Progressives Congress (APC) of orchestrating a plan to interfere with the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) during the upcoming September 21 governorship election.
According to the PDP, the APC is allegedly recruiting fake Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) staff to manipulate the accreditation process in favour of their candidate.
During a press briefing in Benin City on Friday, Dr Anthony Aziegbemi, the state chairman of the PDP, detailed these allegations, asserting that the party’s intelligence unit had uncovered the APC’s scheme to deploy youths posing as INEC technical staff.
Aziegbemi claimed these impostors would tamper with the BVAS machines on election day to artificially increase the number of accredited voters for the APC.
“We wish to alert INEC and the people of Edo State to the sinister plans of the APC, which our intelligence unit has discovered.
The APC has perfected a plan to use fake INEC staff posing as technical personnel to interfere with the BVAS machines during the election, inflating the number of accredited voters in favour of the APC,” Aziegbemi stated.
He accused the APC of resorting to rigging strategies out of fear of losing the election, insisting that these plans would ultimately fail.
Aziegbemi further alleged that the APC had failed to properly register polling agents across the state.
He claimed that instead of registering actual individuals, the APC uploaded “emojis” as agents on the INEC portal, failing to list agents in 3,037 polling units across 17 local government areas.
In contrast, he noted that the PDP had successfully uploaded agents in 4,378 polling units, leaving only 141 units unattended.
The PDP chairman called on INEC to maintain the integrity of the electoral process by holding political parties accountable for failing to meet the required registration standards.
He urged INEC not to allow any changes or substitutions of polling agents by parties that had not complied with the rules.
Aziegbemi also requested that INEC publish the names, photographs, and postings of all its technical support staff ahead of the election to prevent the APC from deploying fake personnel to manipulate the BVAS machines.
“If INEC does not take these precautions, we will not allow anyone except presiding officers near the BVAS machines on election day,” Aziegbemi warned, emphasising the PDP’s commitment to safeguarding the electoral process.
In response to these accusations, Prince Kassim Afegbua, the media director for the APC campaign council, dismissed the PDP’s claims as baseless and accused them of projecting their own plans onto the APC.
Afegbua alleged that the PDP had already tried to compromise the election by bringing in hackers and cloning equipment to interfere with the BVAS system and replicate the voice of the APC candidate.
He accused the PDP of shifting tactics after failing in their initial plans, including staging protests to prevent the arrest of individuals allegedly involved in criminal activities.
“They are afraid of facing the consequences of their actions and are hiding in the Edo State Government House for fear of arrest.
They come up with these allegations to distract from their own misconduct, but we are closely monitoring their activities,” Afegbua said.
He further alleged that the PDP was using state funds to enhance their campaign, including hiring popular musician Rema to attract voters.
Timi Wariowei, the spokesperson for INEC in Edo State, responded to the escalating accusations by announcing that the INEC Chairman, Prof Mahmood Yakubu, would preside over an enlarged stakeholders’ meeting in Benin City on 11 September 2024.
Wariowei encouraged the PDP to raise their concerns at this meeting, underscoring INEC’s commitment to addressing any issues related to the electoral process.
The allegations have added a layer of tension to the upcoming election, with both parties accusing each other of foul play.
As the governorship race in Edo State heats up, the integrity of the electoral process remains a primary concern for voters and stakeholders alike.
Both the PDP and APC have been urged to focus on their campaigns and ensure that the election is conducted in a free, fair, and transparent manner.
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