Osun polls: Utomi, Awolowo, others warn FG, INEC against rigging, vote-buying

Ahead of the Osun gubernatorial election, Civil Society Committee for Anti-Fraud Election Security, CISCAES, has cautioned the Federal Government and Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, against election rigging and voting-buying, saying failure to adhere to the warning would spell doom for the country, especially in the forthcoming general elections.

The CISCAES, in collaboration with 40 Million Ballots Movement, in a statement heralding the press conference, scheduled for Monday, July 11, co-signed by Chairman, National Consultative Front (NCF) Professor Pat Utomi; member of National Steering Committee, National Consultative Forum, Funke Awolowo; Convener, CISCAES and 40million ballots Movement, Kennedy Iyere, and National Coordinator, Peace Action Transformation, Oloye Adegboyega Adeniji, noted that it had become imperative to initiate a proactive anti-fraud intervention ahead of the forthcoming Osun 2022 governorship poll, which holds on Saturday, July 16.

The CSOs disclosed that as election observers on ground to monitor the just-concluded Ekiti gubernatorial election, it could clearly confirm that the poll was marked with massive fraudulent practices.

They added that vote-buying and technical manipulations of the voting process by INEC officials was rampart.

“CISCAES is taking the responsibility to alert the generality of Nigerians and the international community that unless proactive  preventive measures are adopted to forestall fraudulent practices, it has become predictable that the Osun 2022 poll will inevitably be rigged just like that of Ekiti.

“As Nigerians, we must do everything within our means to protect the voting processes of the Osun 2022 guber poll from being hijacked and manipulated by the “Powers That Be.”

“It could turn out to become uncontainable if we carelessly allow a repeat of the Osun poll the same fraud that was perpetrated in the Ekiti guber poll.

“In such a case, the worse hit would be the 2023 general elections, which will then be exposed vulnerably to the dangers of massive rigging.

“Consequently, Nigerians, both home and in the Diaspora, as well as members of the international community must kick-start a thorough monitoring of the electoral process of the Osun 2022 governorship election.” (Vanguard)