The All Progressives Congress (APC) has called on the Independent
National Electoral Commission (INEC) to immediately commence the process
of prosecuting APGA’s governorship candidate for Anambra, Mr. Willie
Obiano, following the revelation that he engaged in multiple voter
registration.
In a statement issued in Abuja on Friday by its
Interim National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party
said Obiano’s multiple registration provides the best test case yet for
INEC to convince Nigerians that it is indeed willing and able to
discourage multiple voter registration by making those who engage in
this electoral fraud to face the full wrath of the law.
”Prosecuting
Obiano will also show that INEC Chairman Attahiru Jega was not just
bluffing when he recently called for the establishment of an electoral
offences tribunal before the 2015 general elections to help restore
sanity to the country’s electoral process and deter people from
committing electoral offences,” it said
APC said it is important
for INEC to ensure that Obiano is made to face justice, against the
background of the statement credited to Prof. Jega that the Commission
had detected 93,526 multiple registration cases in Anambra State ahead
of the Nov. 16th Governorship Poll.
”It is now clear, from
incontrovertible evidence in the public domain, that APGA’s governorship
candidate is one of those who engaged in multiple voter registration,
having registered twice in Anambra and at least once in Lagos.
”One
of Obiano’s two voter registration cards was issued on Aug. 21st 2013
with VIN number 90F5B12B88377091121, while the second was issued on
Sept. 3rd, 2013 with VIN number 90F5B15E7D378200332. Both gave his
address as No. 1 Chief Willie Obiano Street, Otuocha, and showed he was
born on 08-08-1955.
”Add this to the evidence out there that he
also registered in Lagos, and one can see that Obiano is a serial
electoral offender who must not be allowed to escape justice. Nobody is
bigger than the law, and Obiano cannot be an exception,” APC said.
The party said its concerns about the ability of INEC to organize a free, fair and transparent governorship election in Anambra
on
Nov. 16th has been further heightened by the fact that the Commission
failed to discover Obiano’s multiple registration until it was published
in the media.
”This means that the 93,526 cases that the INEC
Chairman said it had detected in Anambra may not have been expunged from
the voters’ register to be used for the Nov. 16thelection. After all,
if the case of such a high profile person like Obiano, who is contesting
for Governor, was not discovered by INEC, how can the cases involving
ordinary citizens be discovered?” it queried.
APC said all eyes
are now on INEC as to how it will handle the case of Obiano, and that
the actions taken by the Commission in the days ahead will determine
whether indeed it is ready to organize a free and fair poll or allow a
repeat of the electoral heist and brigandage perpetrated by the PDP in
the recently-held Senatorial bye election in Delta State.
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