Director of media and publicity of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Femi Fani-Kayode has accused the chairman of Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Attahiru Jega of moves to aid the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) to rig the forthcoming elections in the country.
The rigging plan, Fani-Kayode said at a press conference in Abuja today, include the alleged manipulation of the production, distribution and collection of PVCs, adding that emerging trends have consistently shown calculated attempts to deprive parts of the country that would traditionally vote for President Googluck Jonathan of their PVCs whilst the parts of the country that would traditionally vote for the APC presidential candidate, General Muhammadu Buhari, are already armed with their PVCs.
According to him, the PVC collection statistics for states and geo-political zones before the postponement of the elections would buttress Professor Jega’s contrived grand conspiratorial alliance with the APC to fraudulently secure victory in the elections
The PDP Presidential campaign organisation spokesman said: “pieces of information at our disposal have shown that Jega has had meetings with APC stalwarts in Dubai and other cities in the world to perfect this wanton conspiracy against 23 million eligible voters. “Besides, we have information that the PVCs that Nigerians are scrambling for are not in Nigeria and will not arrive before the elections. These PVCs are still in China and Prof Jega has strategically delayed their arrival to suit his electioneering permutations.”
Fani-Kayode posed some questions to
Professor Jega, such as “why are the PVC collection rates in the North Central, South-South, South West and South East much lower with the highest being 57%? Is it because these geopolitical zones may be pro-Jonathan?
“Why does the North West zone which includes Katsina (Buhari’s home state) have the highest collection rate of 80%?
“How come the North East also has 75% collection rate when, in fact, three states in this zone-Adamawa, Borno and Yobe- have been under the attack of Boko Haram insurgents, a development that has led to the displacement of many residents? Did the Internally Displaced Persons come back there to collect their PVCs?
“Why is it that North Central zone, which includes states like Plateau and Benue that traditionally vote PDP, has a collection rate of 48% when North East and North West have between 75 and 80% collection rates?
“INEC would have us believe that as far back as January 2014, the PVC distribution would be done in phases.
“Phase 1, according to the Commission, commenced May 2014 in 10 states– Taraba, Gombe, Zamfara, Kebbi, Benue, Kogi, Abia, Enugu, Akwa Ibom and Bayelsa.
“Phase 2 – Yobe, Bauchi (North East) Jigawa, Sokoto (North West), the Federal Capital Territory, Kwara (North Central), Anambra, Ebonyi (South East), Ondo, Oyo (South West), Delta and Cross River (South South).
“Phase 3 – kicked off in November and involved 13 states– Lagos, Kano, Rivers, Adamawa, Borno, Edo, Imo, Kaduna, Katsina, Nasarawa, Niger, Ogun, and Plateau.
“Can Jega explain to Nigerians how Kano, Adamawa, Borno, Kaduna and Katsina, which were slated for Phase 3 and actually kicked off in November 2014, have achieved a 75-80% PVC collection rate whilst many states slated for Phases 1 and 2 and even some others in Phase 3 are still in the 40-50% collection rate range?” [myad]
