For Immediate Release
Houston, Texas, USA
September 27, 2018
Daylight Robbery in Osun State --- PDP Diaspora Initiative Calls on INEC to Review APC Voter Suppression Activities
PDP Diaspora Initiative has expressed dissatisfaction over the All Progressive Congress (APC)’s well-orchestrated actions at voter suppression and disenfranchisement in the September 27th Osun gubernatorial supplementary election.
On Saturday, September 22, the people of Osun went to the polls and voted to elect their own governor. Based on council-by-council results announced by the returning officers, candidate for the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Senator Ademola Adeleke, clearly got the highest number of votes.
Instead of declaring the winner of the elections, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) overruled the collective decision of the people of Osun State and declared the election inconclusive and scheduled a supplementary election in some local government areas.
On September 27, as the people of Osun came out to vote in that supplementary election, APC sent out its political thugs to harass, intimidate voters and deter them from casting their votes.
The thugs were backed by some law enforcement officers deployed on the streets by the APC administration to harass and intimidate PDP voters. They also harassed journalists and election observers in an effort to prevent the world from seeing APC’s voter suppression activities.
The APC thugs collected and seized the voters’ PVCs in Osogbo, Orolu Local Government Area and other places where the rerun was taking place.
“This is not how to conduct an election,” Founder and National Chair of the PDP Diaspora Initiative Hon. Victoria Pamugo said.
“Citizens have the right to choose their leaders! Osun people made their choice last Saturday. An administration that has brought so much misery to the citizenry has no right whatsoever to impose someone else on people that have already made their choice,” she said.
“By sending out thugs to harass voters and deter them from voting to choose their governor, APC is robbing the people of their voice,” Hon. Pamugo added.
“APC is engaging in the worst act of voter suppression in broad daylight,” she affirmed.
“On behalf of PDP Diaspora Initiative, I call on INEC to review APC’s act of voter suppression, cancel today’s election and reschedule it to ensure that all those who have been denied of their right to participate in the electoral process are able to vote, or better still, uphold the people’s decision by declaring the candidate that pulled the highest votes last Saturday winner,” Hon. Pamugo called.
“We call on INEC to protect its integrity because an agency that is supposed to be independent must not work in synergy with APC, a political party that has failed the Nigerian people,” she said.
PDP Diaspora Initiative is a US-based registered non-profit organization composed of members of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) from all parts of the world, including Austria, Canada, Germany, Japan, Netherlands, Norway, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom and United States of America.
Signed:
Chidi Igwe
National Publicity Secretary
PDP Diaspora Initiative