Guber polls: PDP raises alarm on planned rigging in Kebbi

By: Abdullahi Faruk, Birnin Kebbi

The People’s Democratic party (PDP) in Kebbi has alleged plan to rig the forthcoming gubernatorial and state assembly elections in the state.

Alhaji Abubakar Shehu, Director-General, Gubernatorial Campaign Council stated this while addressing Journalists in his office in Birnin Kebbi

He said: “The Kebbi State Gubernatorial Campaign Council has discovered a hatched plan by some undemocratic element to rig the forthcoming Gubernatorial and State Assembly elections on Saturday, March 18, 2023.

“We have received reliable information that they intend to hijack the process by prevailing on election officials to; cause delay in the BVAS accreditation process, add unaccredited voters to cause outright cancellation of such polling units and disruption of units perceived to be our strongholds among others.”

According to him, the sinister move is planned to take place in 16 Local Government Areas, adding that they had perfected plans in collaboration with unscrupulous elections officials.

He therefore called on the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), the Nigeria Police, Department of Security Service (DSS) and all other stakeholders to investigate it with a view to arresting the culprits and take appropriate action towards ensuring hitch free conduct of the elections.

Director general assured that PDP as a party would remain committed towards ensuring the overall success of the elections as well as the security of election process.

Reacting to the development, the Deputy Director, Voter Education and Publicity, INEC, Kebbi State, Alhaji Muhammadu Rabi’u debunked the allegation, adding that “there is nothing like that, anybody who comes on election day has to present his/ her PVC before accredited and authenticated and be allowed to cast vote and there is no way you can delay accreditation.

“And anywhere we have problem with our BVAS, we have back up BVAS to replace the non functional ones.”

On adding unaccredited voters to cause outright cancellation of elections, Rabi’u said: “there is no way anybody who don’t register in a polling unit can come there and cast his/her vote because nobody vote without PVC.”

He appealed to all political parties and electorate to be calm and come out en mass to exercise their civic responsibility, assuring that INEC had already put all the necessary machinery in place toward conducting free, fair and credible elections across Kebbi State.