Akeredolu indicts INEC in alleged Ondo voter-registration fraud

By DAPO AKINREFON AKURE—THE Akeredolu Campaign Organisation, ACO, Wednesday, accused the national leadership of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, of colluding with the Ondo State ruling Labour Party, LP, to conduct illegal registration of voters in the state. A statement by ACO’s Director of Media, Publicity and Strategy, Mr Idowu Ajanaku, said: “Indeed, INEC in Ondo State through the Head of Public Affairs, Mrs. Celina Beckley, had in a statement alerted about the illegal house-to-house compilation of voters’ card by a political party. The electoral body said such exercise is unconstitutional. But failed to name the party. “This is coming on the heels of accusation by the Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, that the Mimiko government has been involved in this act under the pretence of biometric registration of civil servants in the state. “But, it has come to the notice of the Akeredolu Campaign Organisation, ACO, that this exercise is being carried out in conjunction with some top officials of INEC in Abuja, who have been doing everything possible to alter the voter registration in the state to pave way for LP to rig the forthcoming election. “Let it be known that all the political parties, including ACN, have the official registration of voters in Ondo State as given out earlier by INEC, anything outside this official one will not be accepted by ACN for the election in Ondo State as INEC has not embarked on any registration since the last election in April 2011. “We believe that this plot that collapsed like a pack of cards in the Edo State election is what INEC, is trying to import to Ondo State for the governorship election. It is against this background that ACO is calling on Professor Attahiru Jega to investigate this plot and name the party involved so that security agents can prosecute them.”