Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has charged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to resist the plot by the All Progressives Congress (APC) to smuggle in unaccredited polling and collation agents after the APC failed to meet the deadline stipulated by the Electoral Act, 2022 and INEC guidelines for the September 21, 2024 governorship election in Edo State.
The PDP said it was already in public knowledge as posted on INEC’s portal that the APC failed to upload its over 3,000 polling and collation agents with the required bio-data and cannot be allowed to submit any agent after the deadline for submission on July 30, 2024 as doing so would amount to rigging.
National publicity secretary of the PDP, Hon Debo Ologunagba, said it was clear that the APC did not upload the required bio-data of agents with the sinister aim to cause confusion, smuggle in thugs masquerading as agents.
Ologunagba, in a statement, said only this could explain why the APC uploaded emojis, pictures of foreigners, social media pictures and non-human photos as polling and collation agents, with the intention to use same as placeholders for thugs imported from certain APC states.
He added, “This further confirms PDP’s position that the APC and its candidate, Monday Okpebholo, have never been prepared for any democratic contest in the Edo State governorship election but only waiting to manipulate the election against the will of the people.
“Unlike the PDP candidate, Dr. Asue Ighodalo who has been vigorously campaigning and engaging the people, the APC and its candidate remain completely disconnected from the electorate, the public, the media and resort only to lies, falsehood, propaganda and desperation to manipulate.
“No wonder credible citizens of Edo State, especially the youths spurned offers to serve as Polling and Collation Agents for the APC, given the widespread rejection of the APC and its candidate ahead of the election.”