INEC confirms staff involvement in alleged electoral fraud in Ondo State

Ahead of October 20, governorship election in Ondo State, The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) today admitted that some staff of the commission have been engaged by politicians with a view to rigging the poll.
The state Resident Electoral Commissioner, Akin Orebiyi, said the state Police command had arrested a junior staff of the commission who gave out unclaimed voters’ cards to a chieftain of the Labour Party (LP), Mr Olaolu Oladapo, and his wife who were also apprehended last Saturday.
The couple were apprehended in Ondo, the home town of the LP’s governorship Candidate and incumbent Governor, Dr Olusegun Mimiko.
A statement by the INEC boss yesterday said the commission would cooperate with the state police command to investigate and prosecute those who were found to be involved in the matter.
Orebiyi said: “The attention of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has been drawn to the arrest of a man with over a thousand voters’ cards issued by the commission purportedly given to him by a junior staff engaged as a security man by the commission, who has been arrested by the police.
“Preliminary investigation by the Commission indicates that some people did not collect their voters’ cards after the registration exercise of 2011. The unclaimed cards are in the custody of the Electoral Officers, who are the duly authorized officials to release same to the claimants of such cards, who must collect them in person.
“The Commission is determined to get to the bottom of this matter and is working closely with the Police Authorities to unravel it. it is its intention to vigorously pursue the investigation and ensure a robust, timeous prosecution of all involved, including its staff, in consonance with its resolve to prosecute all electoral offenders, regardless of their status, party affiliation or relationships.
The REC, however, re-assured the people of the state that the purchase or unauthorized acquisition of voters’ cards by desperate politicians would not yield any fruits.
He said: “INEC will however like to take this opportunity to re-assure the public that the purchase or unauthorized acquisition of voters, cards by desperate politicians will be to no avail, as they cannot be used for the election. Our officials have been trained and directed to closely examine each voter’s card scrupulously and ensure that the photographs on it match that on the voters, register and is in exact liking to the bearer of such card.”
Orebiyi, who commended the Ondo State Command of the Nigeria Police, promised that “we shall continue to co-operate with them and the other security agents and other stakeholders to ensure a hitch-free exercise.”
But it was gathered that top officials of the commission were involved in the sales of voters’ cards to politicians and that Orebiyi only held the unnamed security man responsible in order to save the credibility of the electoral umpire.
The INEC boss was said to have earlier denied that the security man was a staff of the commission, a statement in conflict with the claim of the state Public Relations Officer of INEC, Celina Beckley.

DailyPost