By CHARLES IWUOHA

The All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) says it has uncovered a grand plot by the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ebonyi State to transfer a total sum of N7.8bn from one of the State Government’s accounts to compromise the March 11, 2023 governorship and state houses of assembly elections.

APGA also alleged that the said sum is to be distributed in agreed sums to the Electoral body, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), security agencies who will be involved in election duties and the Returning Officers for the elections in various Local Government Areas across the state.

The party in a statement on Sunday, signed by its Director, Media and Publicity, Odohzhia Campaign Council, Mr Charles Otu, alleged plan is to passed in form of ‘empowerment scheme’ through the 13 local government councils.

According to the statement, recall that rumours have been rife particularly in the Social media that some INEC staff had been invited last week to a meeting in the Osborn Hotel (Extension) belonging to Governor Umahi and located in Abakaliki, the state capital.

The statement added that an INEC staff who was in the venue had claimed that the meeting could not go on but that they were directed to meet with the chairmen of the various local government areas where they were posted to work for briefing.

Continuing, the statement also alleged that efforts to get the outcome of the proposed briefing from the council bosses to unraveled the grand plot to disburse the whooping sum to the aforementioned bodies and agencies all in their bland desperation to manipulate the outcome of next Saturday’s election failed.

“For us in APGA, we are very worried about these mountain of allegations emanating even from those serving in Umahi’s government and we are even more particularly troubled by the way and manner the INEC and security agencies collided with the State government actors to tamper with the electoral wishes of Ebonyi people by declaring election results in favour of APC candidates even in places where votes were cancelled and dubious manipulations extensively carried out.

“We had raised the alarm in our earlier Media briefing that from some wards in Ikwo LGA, Oriuzor in Ezza North (with over 17, 000 registered voters) to Umuhuali in Ishielu Local Government Area all in Ebonyi Central to Ohaozara LGA, Onicha and Afikpo South LGAs in Ebonyi South even to some parts of Ohaukwu, Ebonyi, Abakaliki and Izzi Local Government Areas in Ebonyi North Senatorial zone, the Ebonyi electorate have been totally disenchanted with the outcome of last Saturday's polls.

“Yet, the uncommon electoral thieves who perpetrated these electoral heists across the length and breadth of Ebonyi State are rather challenging those who the electorate willingly and freely offered their mandates to go to Court.

“These unhealthy developments in our polity coupled with the uncanny boastings of the APC Governorship candidate, Rt. Hon. Francis Ogbonna Nwifuru who is largely unacceptable to majority of the Ebonyi electorate that ‘my winning is sacrosanct’ (even when he's not campaigning or soliciting for votes) have therefore further worsened our concerns about next Saturday’s elections.

“To this end, APGA, Ebonyi State therefore calls on the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit, NFIU, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other related Offences Commission, ICPC and security agencies across the nation to be vigilant and monitor all transactions on all the State Government’s accounts from the UBA, First Bank, Zenith Bank among other commercial banks operated by the Ebonyi State government.

“We further call on Ebonyians to be vigilant and report any such suspicious transactions or attempts to manipulate this Saturday's election to the security and other appropriate agencies for immediate action.

“We should not be cowed, threatened or our consciences bought with just a morsel of bread from those who have held this state hostage in the last eight years of cosmetic governance.”

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