LP RAISES ALARM OVER FRESH VOTING IN ONDO GOVERNMENT HOUSE

Olusegun Agagu

The Dr. Olusegun Agagu-led Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) government in Ondo State has embarked upon the massive thumb printing of ballot papers inside the State Government House in Akure, preparatory to the commencement of the scanning of electoral materials used in the April 14 election at the State headquarters of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the Labour Party (LP) has alleged. This fresh voting, according to the LP’s Director of Press, Mr. Kolawole Olabisi, was meant to cover some shortfalls in some local government areas of the State where the PDP did not perfect their rigging during the April 14 election as well as to jeopardize the on-going trial at the Election Petition Tribunal by introducing several discrepancies that would cause confusion in the collated results, thereby perverting the course of justice by creating unnecessary delay.

The Agagu government whose victory in the election is being challenged by the Labour Party’s gubernatorial candidate, Dr. Olusegun Mimiko before the Justice Garba Nabaruma-led 5-man Election Petition Tribunal had last week raised alarm over the volte-face  by Agagu’s counsel with the sudden request for an order to scan election materials used in the contentious election saying that there was more than meet the eyes in the application especially since PDP had done everything to prevent the Tribunal granting LP’s application to scan the materials since the commencement of the trial.

Indeed, the LP had warned the INEC, some of whose officials, it alleged, have a working relation with the Agagu government before, during and after the election not to collude with the PDP to falsify its (INEC’s ) records saying that this was the PDP government’s real intention rather than any genuine intention to scan its (INEC’s) materials.

In a release issued by the LP’s spokesman on Sunday, Mr. Olabisi, disclosed that true to its revelation
last week on the sinister motive of Dr Agagu and his acolytes to use the excuse of scanning of INEC’s materials to perpetrate havoc, it has discovered that massive thump printing of the leftovers of the electoral materials used by the government to rig the election have been taken to the Cocoa Chalet of the Government House in Akure where the illegal voting has since commenced.

According to Olabisi: “This was the very place in which the PDP government in Ondo State rigged most of the election a few days to the April 14 election and we cried out then that election was already taking
place. We were later vindicated by subsequent events in the State. Now, they have embark on another
election after election at the Cocoa Chalet which is adjacent to the official residence of the Deputy Governor, Mr. Omolade Oluwateru, all in their desperate bid to muddle up the results and buy more time for themselves by stalling the trial at the election tribunal.

“Agagu’s trick is simple. Ever since the Tribunal gave a definite date to hear the substantive case against him for October 23, contrary to his initial boast that by the time the Tribunal finishes its case, he would have almost completed his term of office, he shifted gear to get what he cannot get by fair means through foul means and bingo, he decided to muddle up the evidences against him. But he made a mistake because we had scanned all the materials before him.” The Labour Party however reiterated its initial warnings to the INEC and its officials to flee from temptation by not colluding with the illegal
government of Agagu saying: “We urge INEC to allow our representatives to monitor the scanning of electoral materials by the PDP as the PDP did when we did our own scanning. We equally want the body to ensure that the ballot papers which the LP scanned and which had been certified by its designated officials should not be different from those to be scanned by the PDP.

“Also, the numerous units which INEC claimed were unavailable in some Wards in the affected Local
Government Areas during our scanning g exercise should not suddenly resurface during the PDP scanning.” Mr. Olabisi added that as an umpire, INEC must be seen to be unbiased as it has the onerous duty of ensuring that it is fair to all adding that it is the duty of the INEC “to avoid doing anything that could mislead the Election Petition Tribunal especially on the part of any public officer whose position is held in trust on behalf of the people whom he or she is called to serve.”