The two main opposition parties in Nasarawa State, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), have raised the alarm on plans by the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to rig the 2019 elections.
The opposition parties raised the alarm at a separate press briefing they organised in Lafia, yesterday. The parties alleged that there exists a ‘Command Centre’, inside Government House Lafia, where results of elections were being ‘cooked’ in favour of APC.
The PDP state chairman, Mr Francis Orogu, alleged that his friends from the Government House confirmed to him the names of the people recruited by Governor Tanko Al-Makura, to allegedly change election results before they are finally announced.
Orogu, who failed to mention the names, also alleged that ballot papers were recently thump printed in the command centre and other locations across the state to give APC edge above the opposition parties in the state.
“As you all know the issue of command centre is no longer news in the state. It has gone beyond rumour. As a former assembly member and a former labour leader in the state I have friends across the thirteen local governments and the Government House,” he said.
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“We have written to the security agents and the INEC on the nefarious activities taking place at this command centre, and we are reminding them again that they should investigate properly so that this elections will produce the true candidate,” he said.
On his part, the former minister of Information, and governorship candidate of APGA, Labaran Maku, also lamented that the same command centre was where election results in 2015 was doctored to rig him out.
“As former minister of Information and supervising minister of Defence I can’t just rely on rumour to issue statement because I know what it is capable of doing.
“This same command centre is manned by some persons that are known to us, but we must warn that it won’t be business as usual and INEC and the security agents must take note,” Maku said.
Reacting to the allegations, the director general, Communications, Strategy and Press Affairs to the governor, Yakubu Lamai, said nothing of such nature exists in Government House.
On his part, chairman of All Progressives Congress (APC) in Nasarawa State, Philip Tatari Shekwo, said that nobody stopped the opposition from having a situation room, adding that it was nobody’s business if the centre is located in the Government House.
