PDP, APC, AD trade words over mopping up voter cards

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)  in Ondo State, on Saturday, alleged  that the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Alliance for Democracy (AD) are collecting voter cards from the people of the state ahead of next month’s governorship election.

This was contained in a statement issued on behalf of the PDP candidate, Eyitayo Jegede, SAN and signed by Kayode Fashua, who said the two political parties “have been cajoling the people of the state into exchanging their cards for food items.”

But while reacting to the allegation, the Media Assistance to the AD governorship candidate,   Chief Olusola Oke,  Rotimi Ogunleye, denied the allegation but said the ruling party should be accused of buying voter card.

The Publicity Secrtary of the APC, Abayomi Adesanya also responded, calling on PDP “to treat issues” rather than attacking the APC.

Fashua had, in the statement, stated that the antics employed by the AD and APC confirmed their desperation to win the election, saying the two parties were bent on rigging the November 26 governorship election.

He said: “This is no hearsay or rumour. It is common knowledge that the leg-workers of the APC and the AD have been going to markets, shops, offices and homes of residents in the state to collect their voter cards with the promise of bags of rice, tubers of yam and bunches of banana.

“This is a clear indication of a desperate attempt by these perpetrators to buy up a nonexistent popularity and reduce our people to mere articles of trade.”

The party added that the voter cards obtained from the people were actually meant to rig the election through forced inducement of food items, and possibly, money.

The party, as a result, urged the people of the state not to yield to any temptation of giving out their voter cards to anyone, “as the cards are their power to decide on who becomes the next governor of Ondo.”

He said: “Please, turn down their Greek gifts of rice, yam and banana. Turn down their money meant to buy up your conscience. After they have won through the backdoor, God forbid, they will turn their back on you and start lining their pockets and feathering their nests.

“The truth is: The money they are giving you will be doubled and even tripled if they win, leaving the masses impoverished and jobless and the infrastructure to decay.”

But Ogunleye described the PDP’s allegation as baseless and untrue, saying that the PDP government had been the one perpetrating fraud ahead of the election through the use of the “unpopular Kaadi Igbe Ayo” initiative of the present administration.