From Ayodele Samuel, Lagos
The All Progressives Congress (APC) has decried the delay in distribution of the permanent voters cards to registered voters in Osun state ahead of the Aug. 9th 2014 governorship election warning that it might be a ploy to disenfranchise voters.
‘’INEC has been painfully slow in processing the permanent voters cards, and one can only hope that the electoral body is not doing this deliberately to disenfranchise voters, especially in opposition strongholds,’’ the party said in a statement issued in Lagos yesterday by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed.
‘’The slow processing of the permanent voters cards has in particular hit the Central Senatorial District of the State, and has affected those who had earlier registered as well as those who registered this year,’’ it said.
APC said INEC has continued to tell those who throng its offices in the state to collect their permanent voters cards that the cards are not ready, without giving an indication of when they will be ready for collection.
‘’If INEC has no diabolical plan, then it should speed up the processing of the permanent voters cards. We say this based on the reported announcement by the REC in Osun State that whoever does not possess a permanent voters card will not be allowed to vote in the Aug. 9th election,’’ the party said.
It urged Commission to maintain its neutrality during the forthcoming election, and to ensure it does not do anything that could affect the credibility of the INEC or the integrity of the election.
APC recalled that a few days before the Ekiti governorship election, INEC Chairman, Attahiru Jega, had told stakeholders that the commission would use colour-code ballot papers to ensure that ballots meant for one local government are not taken to another.
‘’However, not only did INEC not use colour-coded ballot papers in the Ekiti election, it never felt the need to explain its sudden volte-face. This is a blow to the integrity of INEC and we hope it won’t be repeated,’’ the party said.
Meanwhile, the APC has raised the alarm over a multi-pronged strategy by the federal authorities to skew the forthcoming gubernatorial election in Osun State in favour of the PDP, just like they did in Ekiti State last month.
