APC wants APGA’s Obiano prosecute for multiple registration

APC wants APGA’s Obiano prosecute for
multiple registration
on november 09, 2013 at 10:57 am in news
The All Progressives Congress (APC) has called on
the Independent National Electoral Commission
(INEC) to immediately commence the process of
prosecuting APGA’s governorship candidate for
Anambra, Mr. Willie Obiano, following the revelation
that he engaged in multiple voter registration.
In a statement issued in Abuja on Friday by its
Interim National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai
Mohammed, the party said Obiano’s multiple
registration provides the best test case yet for INEC
to convince Nigerians that it is indeed willing and
able to discourage multiple voter registration by
making those who engage in this electoral fraud to
face the full wrath of the law.
”Prosecuting Obiano will also show that INEC
Chairman Attahiru Jega was not just bluffing when
he recently called for the establishment of an
electoral offences tribunal before the 2015 general
elections to help restore sanity to the country’s
electoral process and deter people from committing
electoral offences,” it said
APC said it is important for INEC to ensure that
Obiano is made to face justice, against the
background of the statement credited to Prof. Jega
that the Commission had detected 93,526 multiple
registration cases in Anambra State ahead of the
Nov. 16th Governorship Poll.
”It is now clear, from incontrovertible evidence in
the public domain, that APGA’s governorship
candidate is one of those who engaged in multiple
voter registration, having registered twice in
Anambra and at least once in Lagos.
”One of Obiano’s two voter registration cards was
issued on Aug. 21st 2013 with VIN number
90F5B12B88377091121, while the second was
issued on Sept. 3rd, 2013 with VIN number
90F5B15E7D378200332. Both gave his address as
No. 1 Chief Willie Obiano Street, Otuocha, and
showed he was born on 08-08-1955.
”Add this to the evidence out there that he also
registered in Lagos, and one can see that Obiano is
a serial electoral offender who must not be allowed
to escape justice. Nobody is bigger than the law,
and Obiano cannot be an exception,” APC said.
The party said its concerns about the ability of INEC
to organize a free, fair and transparent
governorship election in Anambra
on Nov. 16th has been further heightened by the
fact that the Commission failed to discover Obiano’s
multiple registration until it was published in the
media.
”This means that the 93,526 cases that the INEC
Chairman said it had detected in Anambra may not
have been expunged from the voters’ register to be
used for the Nov. 16th election. After all, if the case
of such a high profile person like Obiano, who is
contesting for Governor, was not discovered by
INEC, how can the cases involving ordinary citizens
be discovered?” it queried.
APC said all eyes are now on INEC as to how it will
handle the case of Obiano, and that the actions
taken by the Commission in the days ahead will
determine whether indeed it is ready to organize a
free and fair poll or allow a repeat of the electoral
heist and brigandage perpetrated by the PDP in the
recently-held Senatorial bye election in Delta State