By Favour Afunanya
The campaign council of Sen. Samuel Anyanwu, candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP in the forthcoming November 11th governorship election in Imo State has expresed concern over alleged traing of Skill-up Imo programme graduates by the agents of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC government on how to manipulate the INEC BVAS in favour of the party during the poll.
Addressing newsmen in a press conference at the PDP state secretariat in Owerri on Wednesday, spokesman of the campaign team otherwise known as Samjones2023, Nze Mekam Mgbenwelu urged Imo citizens to resist any attempt to compromise the election process.
"The campaign council also alleged that some Imo Skills Up trainees are being trained in Owerri metropolis on how to manipulate the BVAS machines to frustrate accreditation figures and results upload in order to compromise the election.
"The council called on parents and the Skills Up trainees to beware of being used as agents of destabilization of the electoral process." he said.
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Mgbenwelu further said that the campaign council are also worried over an allegation that, "there are armed non-state actors in several parts of the state with the cover of the Imo State government."
He therefore urged President Ahmed Bola Tinubu, Inspector General of Police and other security agencies to investigate the allegation with the view of ensuring that the forthcoming election is conducted in a credible and violence-free atmosphere.
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Mgbenwelu said, "the Samjones2023 Campaign Council is dismayed to inform the public of the security situation in Imo State ahead of the upcoming gubernatorial election in November 11th.
"The council also called for the Inspector General of Police and the National Security Adviser to take over security arrangements in Imo for the election to prevent bias by compromised local security operatives.
He continued, "In addition, the campaign council reported that some of its members have been molested and harassed while moving around the city of Owerri and its environs with the campaign's branded buses.
"The council urged its members to call 09155805990 if they are confronted by anyone harassing them.
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"The Samjones2023 Campaign Council called on the good people of Imo State to remain peaceful, law-abiding, and security conscious at all times.
"The council also implored the APC-led Imo State Government to ensure that nothing is done to call into question the sanctity of the upcoming elections.
"The campaign council also called on the security agencies to eschew partisanship and carry out their functions within the ambit of the law."
"Lastly, the council urged the Federal Government led by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to ensure that the forthcoming elections are conducted in a credible and violence-free atmosphere." he added.
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