From Olanrewaju Lawal, Ilorin
The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in Kwara State and All Progressives Congress(APC) are at loggerheads over allegations of purchase of temporary voters card from electorates.
PDP, the main opposition party in the state has raised an alarm over alleged APC’s plan to rig the 2015 general elections in the state.
PDP Publicity Secretary in the State, Chief Rex Olawoye in an interview with Journalists in Ilorin on yesterday alleged that APC has been buying the temporary voter cards from the people.
According to him, PDP noticed that the illegal practice has been going on in all the 16 Local Government Areas of the State.
Olawoye added that it has become rampant in Kaima Local Government in apparent warm up for the bye-election to House of Assembly in Kaima constituency that may be declared vacant following the death of Hon Saliu Haliru.
He said that each temporary voter’s card was being bought at a cost of between N2, 000 and N5, 000 from the unsuspecting and innocent victims.
The Publicity Secretary said APC was buying the cards to copy out the VIN numbers on the cards.
He said PDP chairman in Kaima Local Lovernment has made a formal complaint to security agents in the area, but lamented that the practice has continued unabated.
Olawoye therefore appealed to security agents and INEC to take necessary steps to nip the unwholesome practice in the bud to ensure free and fair elections.
He also advised the people of the state, particularly those in Kaima Local Government, to be vigilant and counseled them not to sell their rights for a paltry sum of money.
Olawoye explained that the voters’ card was their weapon to effect a positive change and chase out bad government out of office.
While reacting to the allegation, the INEC spokesman in the State, Mr Jacob Iyanda, told journalists that the Permanent Voter Card (PVC) would not be collected by proxy.
He added that anybody buying the temporary voter cards is wasting his time as the process of replacing the temporary one is very cumbersome thereby making it impossible to fake.
Iyanda said that the new process has been designed to eliminate multiple registrations and one man voting many times.
In his own response, APC State Secretary, Prince Yemi Afolayan described the allegation as untrue and a figment of imagination of the opposition.
Afolayan declared that APC does not to buy voters’ cards because the party has the people.
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