Politicians are buying PVCs for N5,000 in Abia, APGA raises alarm

The All Progressive Grand Alliance, APGA, has alleged that some politicians were buying the PINs of Permanent Voter Cards, PVCs, for N5,000 in Abia State.

APGA has raised the alarm, alleging a plot to rig the 2023 polls in Abia State.

APGA Chairman, Rev. Augustine Ehiemere, raised the alarm while unveiling the party’s Campaign Council in Umuahia.

He claimed that some desperate politicians go about collecting the pin number in the Permanent Voter Cards, PVCs, of unsuspecting voters under the guise of giving them empowerment.

“Some greedy politicians go about pretending to be empowering people by sharing N5000 to unsuspecting voters and collecting the pin number in their PVCs. Abians should resist them.

“This is nothing but an attempt to rig the 2023 elections. INEC and security agencies should rise to the occasion,” he said.

Ehiemere urged security agencies in the state to caution their officers and men against being used by the government in power to intimidate and harass members of the opposition.

He cited the recent arrest of APGA House of Assembly candidate for Obingwa, Chikezie Nwosu, at a filling station where he was distributing free petrol to motorists.

“We wish to state without equivocations that APGA, as a party, will no longer tolerate any further intimidation by anybody.

“Heads of security agencies in Abia should caution their field officers against being used as tools to suppress the opposition.

“We won’t accept a repeat of the recent intimidation of our candidate who was whisked away by security agents while distributing free petrol to motorists at a petrol station in Aba.

“They arrested him alongside others that were with him. It took the intervention of Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe for those arrested to be released.

“We won’t tolerate this rascality and impunity again,” he warned.

“We call on the opposition parties in the state to rise in unison and vigorously resist the despotic tendencies of the ruling party.

“We also call on the Inter Party Advisory Council, IPAC, to rise to the occasion.

“All these intimidations, destruction of billboards of opposition candidates, denying opposition access to public places and fabrication of petitions to incriminate key opposition members must stop!”