FIVE WAYS UZODIMMA PLANS TO RIG ELECTIONS IN IMO AND FIVE WAYS YOU CAN STOP HIM

by ONWUASOANYA FCC JONES

Governor Uzodimma knows that he cannot win any election in Imo that is close to being free and fair. He knows he will be trounced, hence, his heavy investments and desperation to subvert the will of the people and impose his lackeys as elected representatives and return huge number of votes in favour of the APC Presidential candidate. Below are five of his criminal strategies to manipulate the elections, that every Imolite must be on the lookout for;

VIOLENCE AND INTIMIDATION: Already, he is using the Ebubeagu security outfit and other rogue security agents to harass and intimidate his political opponents in the State. Earlier last night, gunmen identified as officers from the notorious Tiger Base invaded the house of the member representing Oguta, Ohaji-Egbema, Oru-west federal constituency, Uju Kingsley Chima, ransacked it, allegedly without any search warrant and picked up his domestic aides. The same rogue officers have been accused of been behind several attempts to assassinate Ikenga Imo Ugochinyere. These same officers and thugs will be deployed in high numbers to invade polling booths where opposition political Parties are known to be more popular to scare voters away, and force INEC officials to upload fake results. This is expected to happen, around the time voting is about to be concluded.

WHAT TO DO: People should troop out in large numbers across all polling booths. Cast their votes, wait until the votes are counted and uploaded and those who can should escort the electoral officials and results to the collation centres. Resist any police officer or security agent who tries to come close to electoral officials. Volunteers should position themselves at strategic places, where they will not be easily discovered and video record every activity of those security agents and thugs and send to the situation rooms. INEC will immediately cancel elections in any of the areas where it is confirmed that violence took place.

IDP CAMP VOTING: Against the provisions of the Electoral Act and resolution of the IPAC in Imo State, the governor is said to have succeeded in compelling the biased and incompetent Resident Electoral Commissioner, Sylvia Agu to go ahead to create IDP camp voting in some areas in the State, including; Orlu, Okigwe, Orsu, Njaba. The idea is to manufacture strange figures in these so-called IDP camp voting with PVCs stolen or bought from the people. Also, security agents and thugs will be used to take absolute control of that environment and ensure that only those known to be sympathetic to the APC are allowed in.

WHAT TO DO: the Electoral Act provides that elections can only hold at the designated venues within the delineated voting areas, any election that holds outside the electoral wards will be invalidated. People should boycott any IDP camp. Already, spy cameras have been planted at the venues where he plans to hold the elections and every action taken there will be on record. INEC is put on notice that there will be no election in those wards across violence prone areas in the State, so any result from those areas should be rejected. Political Parties should write formal petitions in this regard and send to INEC. The names of these wards and polling booths should be stated in the petition.

BRIBING ELECTION OFFICIALS TO COMPROMISE THE ELECTORAL PROCESS: Already there are allegations that the governor has bribed EOs (Electoral Officers) for each LGA in the State with 20 Million Naira, Collation Officers and Returning Officers were also bribed with yet to be determined but substantial amount of money. The aim is to have them aid his rigging plans, especially, by collating fake results and uploading same to the INEC central server.

WHAT TO DO: We cannot control whether these INEC officials collect bribes or not, but we can ensure that these bribes do not achieve the aim for which they were given. Vigilance is the key. We must police our votes and ensure that no one steals our votes under any guise. Resist the thugs, form a barricade around the electoral officials during vote counting and ensure that you get enough videographic evidence of all illegalities.

VOTE BUYING: The governor is said to have budgeted 30,000 Naira for each voter, in places where he thinks his thugs and rogue police officers will not get to. You will be given this money and told Parties to vote for on each ballot. Sometimes, in order to convince you, they will tell you to vote for Peter Obi for President and vote APC candidates for other positions. Apart from merely wanting to buy your votes, they also aim to use this money to compromise the election security in these areas by making the people too relaxed, hence allowing them to perpetrate their fraud.

WHAT TO DO: Collect any money they give to you, but go ahead and vote your conscience. Also, do not be deceived by their trick of telling you that they are working for Peter Obi. Stay vigilant. If you allow them to deceive you, they will end up padding the votes for Tinubu in those booths and wards. Vote for your choice candidates across board, and stay back to ensure that your vote is counted, and uploaded. Don’t leave the polling station because you have been paid to go home. Kwechiri there, and if anyone tries to force you to return the money you have been given, report him or her to genuine security agents as a thief. Don’t accept collecting any money from him. That’s your money anyway, it is not Uzodimma’s or APC’s money.

HIJACKING AND DIVERTING ELECTORAL MATERIALS AND OFFICIALS TO OMUMA AND GOVERNMENT HOUSE AND USING FAKE INEC AD-HOC STAFF TO UPLOAD FAKE RESULTS: You may recall that Uzodimma is governor today because he was able to write fake results for 388 polling units where INEC determined that elections did not hold in 2019. He is trying to use the same pattern this time around. He has already, in alleged connivance with the Imo REC, Sylvia Agu, replaced adequately trained INEC ad-hoc staff with APC thugs and mercenaries allegedly recruited for the purpose of election rigging by Innocent Ikpamezie who is notorious for election fraud. Part of the plans is to have these people move to a designated venues with the electoral materials, including result sheets and BVAS to use stolen and extorted PVCs to accredit large numbers and enter fake results in favour of the APC.

WHAT TO DO: Party agents and key Party officials in Imo State must take note of areas where voting is disrupted and ensure that they send a signal to INEC situation room in Abuja, quickly. Even though, Uzodimma’s option B, is to cause so much chaos in the State and in a worst case scenario, INEC will reschedule election in some areas, so he will have the time to concentrate more security forces and thugs in those areas in order to ensure a successful rigging of the election. But, if Buhari is honest about his desire to ensure a free and fair election, then, we can be sure that even a rescheduled election will not be easy to be rigged by the governor, as stakeholders will insist on a total overhaul of the security arrangement in the State during any potential rerun.