By Ugochukwu Alaribe
UMUAHIA — The All Progressives Congress, APC, and the Labour Party, LP, in Abia State have traded allegations over an alleged plan to disrupt the collation of results at the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, collation centre in Bende ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The APC alleged that the Labour Party was planning to disrupt the collation process and burn the Bende Local Government headquarters, where the INEC collation centre has reportedly been located for decades.
However, the Labour Party dismissed the allegation as false, accusing the APC of deliberately raising alarm and attempting to create tension in the state ahead of the elections.
The APC made the allegation in a statement by its State Publicity Secretary, Chief Uche Aguoru.
The party claimed that the Labour Party, allegedly anticipating defeat in the election, had written a petition to INEC purportedly originating from the APC.
According to the APC, the petition called for the relocation of the Bende Collation Centre to Umuahia, citing an alleged plan to burn the Bende Local Government headquarters.
It said the petition further requested that, if relocation to Umuahia was not possible, the collation centre should be moved to an open central school in Bende town.
The APC urged INEC to disregard the petition, describing it as fake and unfounded.
The party also called on security agencies, including the Department of State Services, DSS, the National Security Adviser, the Inspector-General of Police and the Abia State Commissioner of Police, to investigate the origin of the petition and take measures to protect the collation centre.
The APC further alleged that the petition was part of an attempt to create confusion and disrupt the electoral process in Bende.
It urged the Inspector-General of Police to caution the Labour Party against any alleged attempt to cause a crisis in the area during the election.
The party said it was prepared to protect what it described as the mandate of Bende voters, while accusing the Labour Party of allegedly seeking to create fear and panic among APC supporters.
However, the Labour Party rejected the allegations.
In a statement by its State Publicity Secretary, Emenike Iroegbu, the party accused the APC of “deliberately inciting hatred, brewing bad blood and manufacturing false alarm” capable of disturbing peaceful coexistence in the state.
The LP said the APC had raised the allegation after what it described as the failure of its alleged “clannish incitement strategy.”
The party said: “Having realized that their clannish incitement strategy has failed, the APC came wailing, crying foul and levying wild allegations about an imagined plot by the Labour Party to burn the INEC collation centre for Bende Federal Constituency.”
The two parties have therefore called on security agencies and INEC to take appropriate steps to ensure the safety of electoral facilities and personnel ahead of the 2027 elections.
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