It is no longer in doubt that the PDP and Presidency are desperate to rig and win the Ekiti State election which comes up on Saturday June 21. Agents of the State Security Services (SSS) in Ekiti State have arrested and detained more than Twenty Men they caught thumb printing ballot papers at a resort owned by the campaign manager to PDP candidate, Ayodele Fayose, in the Afao area of Ekiti.
Acting on a tip off, SSS operatives said they caught 22 young people thumb printing ballot papers and preparing INEC Form EC8 in anticipation of rigging the governorship election scheduled for Saturday June 21 in Ekiti State.
On Tuesday, Dipo Anisulowo, the director general of the Ayo Fayose campaign organization, admitted to Sahara Reporters that SSS agents had arrested some guests at a resort he owns. He claimed that he believed the people arrested were “cult boys” who attacked some students in Iworoko and Are-Ekiti area.
Pressed further by our correspondent, Mr. Anisulowo said his political camp was aware that their opponents wanted to raid his resort. He claimed to have reported the case to the police. But sources said the SSS raided the resort when some mobile police officers detailed to guarding the premises went out to drink. “Our agents caught them red-handed thumb printing and filling out the result forms,” one SSS source said.
Earlier on Tuesday, three private airlifts arrived at the Akure Airport in nearby Ondo State in circumstances that a political source in the state described as unusual. “We believe that the three planes brought in cash [for buying votes and bribing electoral officials in Ekiti State] and ballot papers,” said the source. He added that bullion vans owned by Zenith Bank hauled away the freight brought in by the planes.
The source said three PDP officials - Kingsley Kuku, Musiliu Obanikoro, and the governorship candidate for Osun State, Iyiola Omisore, arrived on the planes.
According to Sahara Reporters, the female airport manager in Akure was issued a query after information was released on the Internet about the arrival of the three mysterious planes.
Two SSS sources confirmed today’s operation. One of them disclosed that SSS operatives were tipped off that some persons at the resort were thumb printing ballot papers and preparing electoral result sheets called EC8 forms.
“Our men were able to move in and make arrests,” the source said. Both sources refused to disclose the names of the detained suspects, pleading that the agency has to conclude its investigations. “Please be patient and allow us finish investigating the matter,” one of the sources pleaded.
A source disclosed that the SSS director in Ekiti State was under intense pressure from Fayose’s camp to free the arrested suspects. The director switched off his phone as soon as a correspondent of Sahara Reporters rang his number. He also did not respond to text messages sent to his phone.
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