A group, the Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP), has called for extraordinary vigilance on the part of security operatives in Enugu State, alerting of an alleged plot by some individuals to unleash wide-scale violence in the state during Saturday’s governorship election.
CUPP specifically accused the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state of a sinister move to compromise officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), and cautioned the party against turning Enugu into “a theatre of war.”
The Director of Communications, PDP Campaign Organization, Nana Ogbodo had dismissed similar allegations as baseless.
The group’s allegation is coming barely four days after the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) governorship candidate, Frank Nweke (Jr.) accused the same PDP, of plot to unleash violence and disrupt the polls.
Apparently, giving strength to the allegations, the State Chairman of CUPP, Mr. Ogbonna Festus who briefed newsmen on Tuesday in Enugu said, “There are unending claims that the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, is plotting a state-wide attack in Enugu State in a desperate bid to retain the State.
“This is quite worrisome; this is not the Enugu state of our dream. Those desirous of positions of authority should seek the people’s mandate rather than cut their throat to have their way. This is what the PDP leaders are enthroning in Enugu and it is quite condemnable.”
Stressing that it is worrisome that a key member of the ruling party had been issuing all manner of threats to Catholic priests, Ogbonna called on security agencies to brace up for the challenges ahead.
Calling out INEC for allegedly being in an illegal romance with the PDP, the CUPP said,
“There are also allegations and boasts from the PDP circle of their alliance with the key officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission, (INEC), and security agencies.
“They are said to have compromised the said INEC officials with the purpose of truncating the credibility of the electoral process.
“This is why we are sounding a note of warning to the INEC and their collaborators that we are not going to accept a situation where the will of the people will be truncated.”
CUPP therefore, encouraged the people of the state “not to be intimidated by those who do not mean well for the State.”
Further explaining the plot, CUPP alleged that on the election day the corrupt INEC officials would come to the polling units with fake result sheets.
“The essence of this plot is to give the voters a semblance of credible election, only to swap the fake sheets with the original version after the exercise has ended.
“Having examined these critical allegations, we in the CUPP hereby warn the INEC not to toy with the future of the millions of Enugu residents.
“The INEC must without compromise bring all the authentic result sheets to the various polling units in the state.
“They must also without fail transmit the results real time at the polling units.
“For emphasis, we demand that INEC officials at each polling unit must make sure that polling unit results must be in such a manner that duplicate copies must be seen very clearly and countersigned by the Party agents present in case the INEC officials tend to circumvent the BVAS,” the group said.
