Ondo State Police, in a timely crackdown, have apprehended two members of the All Progressive Congress (APC) implicated in a scheme to print and distribute fake membership cards.
The arrests came just days before the party’s crucial governorship primary election scheduled for Saturday.
A statement issued by the state police command’s spokesperson, Funmi Odunlami, identified one of the suspects as Ariyo Ajiroba, a transporter in Ondo town.
Police discovered that Ajiroba was allegedly registering party members from his residence, contravening the ethical standards expected during the electoral process.
“On Wednesday, 17th April, 2024, the Police received an intel that one Mr Ariyo, a transporter in Ondo town was registering APC Party members at his residence ahead of the party primaries slated for 20th of April, 2024,” the statement detailed.
During a raid led by an Assistant Superintendent of Police from the Yaba Divisional Headquarters, officers seized APC party registration booklets, a list of purported party members, passport photographs, and other documents potentially related to the scam.
“The Commissioner of police, Abayomi Oladipo, admonishes all political aspirants to caution their supporters whose acts can stir the hornet’s nest in the state,” Odunlami added, highlighting the commitment to ensuring a peaceful election process.
The statement also mentioned that the CP “ordered a total clamp down on incendiaries no matter whose ox is gored,” as the command intensifies efforts to safeguard the integrity of the upcoming primaries.
This arrest follows concerns raised by seven governorship aspirants about potential irregularities in the primary process.
In a collective petition to the national chairman of the party, Umar Ganduje, the aspirants expressed apprehensions over the transparency of the revalidation exercise for party membership.
“We have been inundated by reports that a particular aspirant has gone ahead with massive printing of fake party slips, which he has distributed to a lot of people who are not even our party members,” the letter reads, calling for stringent measures to ensure a fair and credible primary election.
The aspirants urged the party leadership to use only the membership register certified by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for the upcoming election to prevent any legal or electoral complications.
