The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has cautioned against “plot’’ to use the police as a tool to intimidate voters and rig the Irepodun/Ekiti/Oke-Ero/Isin Federal Constituency by-election in Kwara scheduled for Saturday.
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The party in a statement issued by its National Publicity Secretary, Mr Kola Ologbondiyan, On Tuesday in Abuja, said that the people of Kwara were already fully rallied behind the PDP.
Ologbondiyan said that the people of Irepodun/Ekiti/Oke-Ero/Isin Federal Constituency had resolved to dismantle all rigging machinery at the polls.
He alleged that the All Progressives Congress (APC) was working to manipulate the electoral process, including using the security agencies, particularly, the police against the will of the people.
Ologbondiyan said that the PDP was privy to meetings at the Presidency, where APC leaders handed down orders to the police high command to compromise the security architecture in Kwara.
“The people of Kwara state already have details of the brief handed to the new DPOs, including providing cover for APC thugs procured to unleash violence on voters and PDP supporters, snatch ballot boxes and disrupt elections in certain areas as well as to alter election results in favour of the APC candidate.
“The people are also aware of the directives to harass, intimidate, arrest, and detain indigenes of Kwara, and to provide cover for the importation of aliens from other areas by the APC to participate in the election.’’
Ologbondiyan advised the APC, security agencies and electoral officials to deploy to Irepodun/Ekiti/Oke-Ero/Isin Federal Constituency to be conscious of their actions.
“It is a settled fact that Irepodun/Ekiti/Oke-Ero/Isin Federal Constituency and indeed, Kwara state, remains the stronghold of the PDP.
“Our candidate, Saheed Alatishe, enjoys the support of the overwhelming majority of the people and they are not ready to yield their mandate to any other person, no matter the level of intimidation or threat from the enemies of democracy.’’