A socio-political pressure group, Save Abia Now (SAN) has alleged plots by the People Democratic Party (PDP) in State to cover up several electoral malpractices recorded during the 2015 gubernatorial election in Abia State.

The arrest of some Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) staff by the Police some weeks ago, who allegedly attempted to smuggle some suspected electoral materials to cover the massive irregularities, has further given credence to the fact that there are desperate move by the ruling party in the state to cover their tracks.

“As Abia INECGATE unfolds in Umuahia and the activities and contributions of several actors exposed by the arrest of some of their foot soldiers; the police high command has recently briefed about the ongoing criminal activities of the government and the plan by ruling party in the state to cover up their electoral crimes, escape justice and probably retain their stolen mandate,” the group said.

According to sources, “some of the criminal plans currently being activated by the party in the state include: an elaborate plan to burn down INEC head offices in Umuahia to destroy evidence of their electoral malpractices and also in the following locations: Isialangwa South LGACompleted (INEC offices already burnt), Osisioma LGA-On-going, Obingwa(Attempted and On-going), Ugwunagbo (On-going) and Isianagwa North (On-going).

In a statement, Legal Adviser of the group, Barr Sylvanus Nkoro, said: “INEC Electoral Officers (EOs) are collaborating with PDP to manipulate and change unit, ward and LGA electoral result sheets and other sensitive materials. EOs for the above mentioned LGA are yet to submit these materials to INEC offices in Umuahia. Attempts to contact some of them have been futile as parties make desperate efforts to secure Certified True Copies of these documents for record purposes only.”

He said further that the IT departments of INEC in Umuahia and their collaborators in Abuja led by one Chidi Nwafor are refusing to upload card reader data from Abia state to INEC server in a bid to manipulate the data before uploading. This is part of why Mr. Nnamdi Nwabuko and his team were removing the card readers from INEC offices in Umuahia to effect the manipulation of data before uploading. INEC’s legal department is in limbo as they cannot respond to requests of legal teams for this information.

Sources also claimed that government and PDP officials are blackmailing and arm twisting security officials in the state to collaborate in their crimes and to withhold, withdraw and or destroy exhibits and confessions made by some of the INEC staff recently nabbed as they carried away sensitive electoral materials, or in the alternative poison these star witnesses in a bid to silence them.

However, a reliable source from the Government House has debunked the allegation as cheap blackmail and challenge those spreading the allegations to present their facts.

A reliable source at the Force Headquarters informed our reporter that the current police leadership have been informed about this crime as the culprits make plans to forestall some of these criminal activities.

However, sceptics do not believe that the force is working as a team as evidence indicates that some members of the force have already been compromised, and may be abetting the efforts of criminals to perpetrate these heinous crimes.

The Head of Intelligence and Surveillance for APGA, Chief Mike Chidi Ahiabike, said he learnt of the plot to perfect the plans of the rigging in Obingwa, Osisioma and Isialangwa North after the election and put surveillance at work.

According to him, the first information uncovered was plans by some people to burn down the INEC Office in Obingwa, which, he said, failed.