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| Mr Jude Ngaji APC candidate for Ogoja/Yala Federal Constituency, Cross River State |
Nyok|17 February 2019
According to reliable information made available to our news desk, plans have been concretised to compromise the conduct of the process and announcement of results in favour of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC against the opposition People’s Democratic Party, PDP in Ogoja/Yala Federal Constituency, Cross River State NEGROIDHAVEN can say authoritatively.
This perceived interference with the independence of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Nigeria’s electoral umpire particularly bothers with the major contending candidates of the House of Representatives in the state, that is, the APC and PDP Messrs Jude Ngaji and Hon Jarigbe Agom Jarigbe respectively.
Close sources at INEC especially at the Operations Unit in the state who are pleading anonymity disclosed that APC’s Ngaji has reportedly compromised the list of INEC’s ad-hoc staff to create a leeway for achaic rigging propensities innate to the PDP where he recently defected from.
The anonymous source informed thus, ‘This submission was made by Jude Ngaji to some staff in the Operations Unit of INEC. He intends to bribe some INEC staff to use his list for the recruitment of ad hoc staff, to enable him rig the House of Reps election for Ogoja/Yala Federal Constituency. This is typical of PDP and Jude Ngaji has brought those archaic ways to APC. APC doesn’t need to rig elections.
‘The simple truth is that Jude is not a good candidate and is looking for short cuts. Jude should be advised to go and do the needful among the electorates, instead of this wild goose chase. We also hear from a very close source that Jude Ngaji has been negotiating for Election Result sheets, to enable him prepare results ahead of the elections and get himself announced as winner of an election that ordinarily can’t score 30%. This is the reason his supporters are boasting that the PDP Candidate will win but Jude of the APC will be announced as winner.
‘The PDP candidate is not an easy guy to handle though, because he is known for his dexterity. Interesting days ahead. Let the most acceptable guy win…’
NEGROIDHAVEN had earlier this week received complains from trained but not successful INEC’s ad-hoc staff who revealed that a majority of the finally engaged ad-hoc staff recruited by the Commission in this year’s general elections did not partake in the training initially organised by the commission. It is perceived that the Governor of the state is involved in this development for obvious reasons. For instance, on Friday, one of the unsuccessful trained INEC ad-hoc staff said that he had confirm his name in the website of the Commission, but, on retiring to confirm his name in the pasted list at walls at INEC office in Calabar the state capital city, he did not find his name. This was about the second complain. Those already engaged, who did not partake in the training, are at a lost as to what their real responsibilities will be come 23rd February and 9th March this year.
Some of the names of ad-hoc staff published in this report are suspectedly influenced by the APC candidate for the said sinister purposes.
A source close to Ngaji’s political campaign has denied the issues raised in these allegations. The source argued that such informations are rumours emanating from the enemies pitched against the APC House of Rep candidate in the said constituency. He disclosed that Ngaji has never visited INEC’s office, so, why the accusation.
Efio-Ita Nyok is the blogger-in-chief, editor-in-chief and publisher of NEGROIDHAVEN