The Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) has raised alarm over huge amounts of State money being doled out to prospective voters across the State by the Amaechi administration to win their sympathy for the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
The Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) has raised alarm over huge amounts of State money being doled out to prospective voters across the State by the Amaechi administration to win their sympathy for the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
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The ACN in a statement issued by the Director of Publicity and Communications for Abiye Sekibo Campaign Organisation, Jerry Needam alleged that in outright breach of the electoral law, Gov Chibuike Amaechi has continued to induce voters with money to vote for the PDP candidates.
The statement further alleged that in a meeting with all the Community Development Committee (CDC) chairmen and secretaries from all the communities in the 23 local Government Areas in the State today, held on Wednesday, March 30, 2011, each CDC chairman and secretary were given the sum of five hundred thousand (N500,000) naira.
The ACN queried the reason for the meeting and the payment of the whopping sum of N500,000 to each CDC chairman and Secretary which runs into millions of naira barely 24 hrs to the National Assembly election if the intention is not to influence the voters to the advantage of the PDP.
It called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to take note of the electoral breach of the rule by Gov Amaechi with respect to the use of state apparatus including monetary resources to the disadvantage of other parties.
“We believe this is fraudulent, criminal and sufficient enough to provoke the necessary sanctions of INEC against the culprits as this is enough to ignite tension and violence in the state. We condemn in very strong terms the blazen use of our collective resources to deceive and manipulate the same impoverished people of Rivers by same desperadoes with no other aim than to remain in office notwithstanding their woeful performance and four clear years of misrule and misappropriation of State resources,” the statement noted.
Also worrisome to the ACN, is that this shameful and fraudulent public show of money sharing to voters is taking place before the media and security operatives, both key institutions of the election process and hopes that the INEC, as the chief and final arbiter will not tow same path.
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