The Independent National Electoral Commission has suspended two electoral officers in Osun State for their alleged involvement in electoral malpractices during the August 9 governorship election in the state.
A source close to the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party in the state, Senator Iyiola Omisore, informed journalists of the suspension of the two INEC officials.
The source said, “INEC has suspended two electoral officers for electoral malpractices during the August 9 governorship election. Their offences included: sale of ballot papers to the APC, manipulation of form EC8 series to favour the APC and voiding of PDP votes counted in favour of the APC.
“INEC headquarters tried them and found them culpable of working for the APC to rig the election.”
Form EC 8 series are forms where election results are entered into from the unit level to ward, local government and state.
But the Director of Publicity, Research and Strategy of the APC in Osun State, Mr. Kunle Oyatomi, when contacted, accused the PDP of pressurising INEC to get what it lost at the election through the back door but said it was not possible.
He said, “If the PDP is the party announcing the suspension of officials of an organisation over which it has no control, then it clearly shows that the PDP is working on INEC to get what it could not get from the people of Osun State on August 9.”
Although the Resident Electoral Commissioner in the state, Mr. Olusegun Agbaje, could not be reached on his telephone, the Supervising National Commissioner Osun governorship election, Ambassador Mohammed Wali, confirmed the suspension of the two electoral officers to our correspondent on the telephone.
Wali, however, said the officers were suspended to enable the commission to properly investigate them.
He said, “Presently, the electoral officers are under suspension. They are not guilty yet but they are being investigated.”
