Adeleke warns citizens not to sell their voter cards to anyone for financial gain

Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke has sounded the alarm on an alleged scheme by the opposition party to tamper with the voters' register by collecting Permanent Voters' Cards throughout the state, urging citizens not to surrender their cards to anyone in exchange for financial gain.

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The governor's spokesperson, Olawale Rasheed, issued a statement on Thursday, revealing that there is a coordinated effort by the opposition to purchase voters' cards and extract their PIN numbers, with the ultimate goal of disenfranchising voters on August 15.

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According to Governor Adeleke, opposition agents are extracting PINs from voters' cards by offering them monetary rewards, and local governments with a large following of the Accord Party are being targeted.

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The alleged plot aims to dislocate registered voters from their place of registration, making it impossible for them to vote on election day, and in some cases, voters are being asked to swear an oath in exchange for inducements to secure their PIN numbers or a photocopy of their voters' cards.

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Governor Adeleke warned against these illegal and anti-democratic activities, which are designed to compromise the voters' register, electronically disenfranchise voters, and manipulate the outcome of the August 15 polls, and he called on the electoral commission to take notice of this development.

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The governor described these practices as criminal and a breach of the Electoral Act, and he urged the electoral commission to intervene, citing reports of "insider collusion" in the APC's alleged operations.

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He tasked the electoral body to take action, stating that any link between the PIN numbers on the voter's card and manipulations of the voting process is a cause for concern, and he expressed trust in the electoral body to act.

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Governor Adeleke appealed to the people of Osun State, saying "don't sell your voters' cards; your cards are your power to vote and elect your leaders on August 15 and beyond," and he warned that the Osun APC is trying to stop them from voting.