Ahead of the March 23 supplementary election in Benue State, youths in the state have accused the All Progressives Congress of planning to thumb-print ballot papers ahead of the poll.
The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, had ordered for a rerun after declaring the guber election in the state inconclusive.
The electoral umpire hinged its reason on the fact that the number of the margin between the winner and the runner-up was lesser than the number of canceled votes.
It subsequently fixed March 23 as date for a rerun.
Comrade Terrence Kuanum, President, Benue Youth Forum, BYF, who raised the alarm on Tuesday, named APC Chairman, Adams Oshiomhole, former Benue Governor, George Akume and APC National Leader, Bola Tinubu as real enemies of the state.
Terrence vowed that Benue youths would resist every attempt by the APC national body to impose its candidate, Emmanuel Jime on the state.
His statement reads below.
Our reliable sources at INEC have disclosed that the All Progressives Congress, (APC) leadership has ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to immediately release to it ballot papers and result sheets for all the polling units where the re-run governorship election is to hold in Benue State.
This is to help the party to thumb-print the ballot papers and fill the result sheets before the 23rd March supplementary election.
APC Chairman, Adams Oshiomhole secretly arrived Makurdi on Sunday night and was still in town Tuesday morning to supervise the evil plot. Bola Tinubu is expected in Makurdi tomorrow to add to the pressure already mounted on the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in Benue State to release the sensitive election materials to APC.
APC has recruited many Fulani militia members who will be given military uniform to wear and go to polling units where they will arrest PDP agents and leaders of the party who will want to prove stubborn on the day of the election.
As youths of the state, we find this plot by APC as devilish and anti-people and we will resist it with the last drop of our blood.
Benue people took a decision on the 9th of March to renew the mandate they gave Governor Samuel Ortom in 2015. The people overwhelmingly voted for the Governor who now has 81,000 lead against his closest opponent.
We advise INEC to be firm and resist the pressure to deny Benue people their right to decide who governs them. INEC must say NO to APC’s maneuvers to truncate democracy through rigging of the supplementary election in Benue State.
We are aware that all uncollected Permanent Voter’s Cards, PVCs were returned and kept at Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN in Makurdi. We also have the statistics of the number of PVCs collected in all the polling units where the re-run election is billed to hold.
Our eagle eyes are firmly fixed on CBN and INEC. Any attempt to illegally release the uncollected PVCs or any other sensitive election material will be exposed and the particular culprit, whether he is INEC or CBN staff will be made to suffer lawful consequences of his action.
We want the Benue State Resident Electoral Commissioner, Dr. Nentawe Yilwatda to remember that the whole world is watching him! He should remember that history will also note the role he is playing in Benue State electoral process and will judge him accordingly. He has the option to do what is right and write his name in gold or obey those who want to pervert the process and rig the election despite the wide margin between the party in the lead and the closest opponent.
Lastly, we caution Oshiomhole, Tinubu, Akume and all other enemies of Benue State to shelve their plan to rig the re-run election. It is a waste of engery and time! APC has lost Benue!”
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