BREAKING: ALLEGED PLOT TO MANIPULATE ELECTIONS RESULTS AHEAD OF GOVERNORSHIP ELECTION IN KADUNA EXPOSED..."Be Vigilant And Alert", Opposition Tells Electorates

Prof. Mahmoud Yakubu

Ahead of the scheduled Saturday, 9th March 2019 Governorship and State Houses of Assembly elections across the country, a leak has been exposed of a alleged plan to manipulate the results of the elections in Kaduna state.

Sources in Kaduna state disclosed early Tuesday of an alleged plot by the APC in the state, through the State Government to induce staff of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC to "pad" the results from 15 Local Government Councils in order to secure electoral victory.  

forn what has been described as a "bust" by vigilant opposition party officials, the leak was alleged to have come from a concerned INEC official who was reported to have felt uncomfortable with the release of a "hand written list of figures to be inserted into falsified results that will be allocated to the APC in the state.

The figures which were hand written allegedly by an official of the Kaduna state Government and submitted to  the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC in Kaduna, would be inserted to the results for fifteen Local Government Councils for the APC as votes secured for governorship elections in order to secure a false victory, it was further alleged. 

In order to actualize the success of the plan, it was revealed that the Kaduna state Government is pressurizing key staffers of INEC in Kaduna and as part of the bargain, offered a huge sum of #250m as cash inducement to have them use the figures provided.  

The fifteen Local Governments Councils penned down and the figures allocated to them are; Zaria 150,184, Igabi 185,283, Lere 180,386, Giwa 80,986 Soba 89,176, Kudan 45,313, Chikun 40,786, Kauru 90,435, Birnin Gwari 75,836 and Kubau 90,119.

Others include; Kaduna North 193,986, Kaduna South 99,384, S/Gari 91,674 and Makarfi 55,393.

Coming strong on the heels of the February 23rd Presidential and National Assembly polls, Nigerians had expressed their misgivings regarding the outcome of the elections following reports of ballot box snatching in some states and are of the opinion that INEC and security agencies should up their efforts in addressing the ugly situation so as to have, a truly free, fair and credible exercise, devoid of violence such as witnessed in Lagos and Rivers states, leading to late release of the results.

Similarly, information circulating in several social media has it that massive thumb printing of ballot papers are currently going on Igabi, Birnin gwari, Ikara, Giwa, Kudan, Soba and Makarfi, including Soba and Lere LGs with the intention of using them to stuff ballot boxes on the forthcoming Governorship/State Assemblies elections.