The All Progressives Congress (APC) has called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to immediately commence prosecution of the governorship candidate of the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) in the forthcoming election in Anambra State, Mr. Willie Obiano, following the revelation that he engaged in multiple voter registration.
One of Obiano’s two voter registration cards was allegedly issued on August 21st 2013 with VIN number 90F5B12B88377091121, while the second was issued on September 3rd, 2013 with VIN number 90F5B15E7D378200332. Both gave his address as No. 1 Chief Willie Obiano Street, Otuocha, and showed he was born on 08th August 1955.
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 ensuring those who engage in this electoral fraud 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,” the party said.
According to APC, 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 November 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,” APC said, recalling the details of the two registration and voter cards issued Obiano.
“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.”
The party said its concerns about the ability of INEC to organise a free, fair and transparent governorship election in Anambra onNovember 16th have been further heightened by the failure of the commission 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 November 16th election.
“ 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.
The party concluded that 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 it is indeed ready to organise 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.
