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Thirty-nine Corps members who are Adhoc staff of Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) were yesterday arrested by the police in Lokoja, Kogi State for allegedly holding a secret meeting on how to rig Saturday’s rescheduled National Assembly election in the state.

They were arrested in the GRA house of a Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) stalwart in the state capital following a tip off. They were reportedly meeting with the PDP stalwart to fine-tune how to rig the election in favour of the PDP candidate in one of the federal constituencies in the state.

When contacted the Deputy Commissioner of Police, Mr. Val Ntonchukwu confirmed the arrest but denied that they were meeting with the PDP stalwart to rig the poll. He said the Corps members were merely at the PDP stalwart’s residence to protest the non-payment of their four-month allowances.

Meanwhile, the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) has alleged that another local government boss was also caught holding another nocturnal meeting with INEC staff at the state capital. Addressing newsmen at the CPC party secretariat, Mr. Mabo Mohammed Kassim said there was a game plan by the PDP in the state to rig in the Saturday’s poll.

He said the council chairman who was caught having the secret meeting with the INEC staff have been reported to the police, and urged the police in the state to be fair and bold enough to arrest whoever flouted the Electoral Act.
Kassim also called on the INEC chairman, Prof Attahiru Jega to appeal to his men in the state not to compromise their integrity.





http://www.sunnewsonline.com/webpages/news/national/2011/apr/07/national-07-04-2011-002.htm