ACTION Congress (AC) has raised an alarm over alleged plans by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to use what it called magic pens and erasers in the conduct of next month�s general elections.
The party which alleged in a statement that the plans were aimed at rigging the poll also criticized chairman of Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Nuhu Ribadu for dismissing Senate�s handling of investigations of Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF) scam.
But in its reaction, INEC dismissed AC�s allegation and accused the party of deceiving and misleading Nigerians. “We should sympathise with AC for believing that it can only win election when it tells lies about INEC”, media aide to the commission�s chairman, Mr Andy Ezeani said.
Ezeani who spoke to Daily Champion in a telephone interview said the allegation by AC will not compel the commission to disclose measures it will adopt in the conduct of the election.
He insisted that every effort was being made by the electory body to guard against irregularities during the election, assuring that the outcome of the poll will reflect the wishes of voters.
But AC in a statement signed by Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party�s National Publicity Secretary said the recent reports that INEC was going to use pencil and erasers for the elections were enough indications the exercise would be rigged.
“This is the clearest indication yet, in spite of repeated vows to organize a free and fair polls by its Chairman, Prof. Maurice Iwu, that INEC has perfected plans to rig the forthcoming elections in collusion with some evil forces,” the party.
According to a yet-to-be refuted report in the �Leadership� newspaper of Friday, March 23rd 2007, entitled “Exhibit N0. 1,” the pens are the only ones permitted by INEC to be used at polling booths by presiding officers, polling clerks and party agents.
It argued that the trick was that after party agents and INEC officials would have put their signatures on the result sheets at a polling station, election riggers could � on their way to collating centers � easily erase the vote figures announced at the station and substitute them with their �cooked� figures.
AC said it was alarmed that while the writing materials were designed to look like pens, they were actually pencils, and wondered why INEC would insist on the use of pencils fitted with erasers to enter figures and sign result sheets at any election in the first instance.
The party said only pens with indelible inks should be used for such sensitive and critical assignment, especially going by past experiences when figures known to have been changed between polling booths and collation centres.
“Whose interest is INEC serving by decreeing the use of pencil and eraser to fill result sheets at polling units? What informed the choice of such satanic writing materials? Is this part of the rigging strategies that have been developed by the highly-partisan and biased INEC?” AC queried.
It reminded the commission that Nigerians have resolved to defend their votes this time around, irrespective of any INEC-backed intimidation or strategies, adding: “Anyone who plans to rig April�s general elections is digging his own grave!”
“We call on INEC to immediately withdraw those rigging pens, because our agents will definitely not sign any result sheet that is written with such pens,” AC said.
Meanwhile, the party has lampooned Ribadu over the use of what it called uncouth language in expressing his opinion regarding the Senate�s handling of PTDF scam.
It contended that description of Senate as unserious by Ribadu was uncharitable and unbecoming.
“What gave Ribadu the audacity to be so contemptuous of a chamber of elected representatives of the people? The party asked.
It accused the EFCC chairman of turning his eyes the other way when the Victor Ndoma Egba led Senate adhoc committee that first investigated the PTDF scam handed its report that indicated only Vice President Atiku Abubakar.