Kwara ACN Accuses PDP, INEC Of Tampering With Electoral Materials

KWARA State Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) governorship candidate, Mohammed Dele Belgore (SAN), has accused Kwara

Peoples Democratic Party (PDPP of doctoring electoral materials used for the April 26 gubernatorial polls  with the alleged complicity of some Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) staff in the state.

Belgore’s spokesman, Rafiu Ajakaye, said in a statement yesterday that the

materials are already subjects of tribunal order which last week granted the ACN

leave to inspect and make copies of all the materials used for the ballot.

The statement also accused the state INEC of frustrating the enforcement of the  tribunal’s order by giving excuses that cast the electoral umpire in the mould of a PDP advocate, rather than being an unbiased umpire as required by the law.

The statement reads: “We are informed that some of the materials that were used  for the elections, which materials were the subjects of court order issued last  week, are now being doctored by the PDP in Kwara State, with complicity of the  state INEC.

“The election tribunal had ordered INEC to permit our governorship candidate and  the other petitioners to inspect and take copies of those election materials.

Rather than facilitate the enforcement of the court order, INEC has constituted  itself into an advocate for the PDP and has put every obstacle in the way and  has frustrated its enforcement. INEC has failed to act as an unbiased party in  this regard. Tampering with public records, which electoral materials are, is a  criminal offence under the law.

“We demand, firstly, that these materials be brought from the rural areas to the  state INEC headquarters to allow for proper monitoring and immediate enforcement  of the court order. Secondly, we demand that this matter be investigated by the  appropriate authorities and culprits named and prosecuted.”