Osun Poll: 2 Eos Not Suspended For Electoral Fraud —INEC

PDP! LYING AND DECEIVING NIGERIANS SINCE 1960
THE reported suspension of two electoral
officers of the Independent National
Electoral Commission (INEC) in Osun State
over alleged electoral fraud during the
August 9, governorship poll assumed a
newdimension on Wednesday, when the
umpire said that one of the affected officers
was suspended for administrative lapses.


In apress release authorised by the INEC’s Chief
Public Affairs Officer (CPAO) in Osun, Mrs
Adenike Tadese, the electoral body
contended that “it is imperative to correct
the erroneous impression created over the
pages of the newspapers concerning the
suspension of two INEC officers over alleged
electoral fraud during the August 9
governorship election.”According to the
release, “it is pertinent to clarify and also set
the record straight that the two electoral
officers (EO), Mr Funsho Tope Fabunmi
(Osogbo Local Government) and Mr Anthony
Olusegun Esinoye (Obokun Local Government)
were not suspended based on alleged
collusion with the All Progressives Congress
(APC) to manipulate electoral process in
favour of the party in Osogbo and Obokun
local government councils respectively.”The
release reads in part: “they were neither
culpable of selling ballot papers to the APC
nor manipulating Form EC8C to favour the
APC and voiding of PDP votes counted in
favour of the APC. Mr Fabunmi was
suspended based on administrative lapses
occasioned in the course of discharging his
duties.”It continued, “Mr Esinoye, Electoral
Officer, Obokun Local Government, on 7th
August, 2014 was alleged by the people of
Obokun Local Government Area of diverting
sensitive election materials and was arrested
by the police in the area.”“A press statement
was immediately issued to correct the
spurious allegation that non-sensitive
materials which were supposed to be
deployed alongside with the sensitive
materials were erroneously taken to the
Registration Area Centre alongwith materials
meant for the setting up of the centre by the
Assistant Executive Officer of the local
government while the electoral officer was at
the state office of the Commission in Osogbo
for the collection of the sensitive election
materials in the presence of security and
political party agents,” the release added.
While arguing that “it was at the point of
retrieval of the non-sensitive materials
thatthe residents of the area accosted him
and raised alarm that drew the attention of
the police,” INEC stressed that “it is
important at this point to emphasis that INEC
headquarters did not find the electoral
officers culpable of working for the APC to
rig the election as purported by the Peoples
Democratic Party (PDP).”

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