APC, Labour Party Trade Accusations Over Bende Collation Centre Ahead of 2027 Polls

APC, Labour Party Trade Accusations Over Bende Collation Centre Ahead of 2027 Polls

The All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Labour Party (LP) in Abia State have exchanged sharp accusations over claims of a plot to disrupt result collation at the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) centre in Bende ahead of the 2027 general elections.The APC alleged that the Labour Party planned to disrupt the collation process and burn the Bende Local Government headquarters, the longstanding site of the INEC collation centre.Labour Party dismissed the claims as false, accusing the APC of deliberately raising false alarms to stir tension in the state before the elections.APC State Publicity Secretary Chief Uche Aguoru stated that the Labour Party, allegedly expecting defeat, had submitted a petition to INEC that purported to come from the APC. The petition, according to the APC, demanded the relocation of the Bende Collation Centre to Umuahia, citing a supposed plan to set the local government headquarters ablaze. It also suggested moving the centre to an open central school in Bende town if Umuahia was not feasible.The APC urged INEC to ignore the petition, calling it fake and baseless. It 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 petition’s origin and safeguard the collation centre.The party further claimed the petition was designed to sow confusion and disrupt the electoral process in Bende. It asked the Inspector-General of Police to warn the Labour Party against any attempt to spark crisis during the election, while stating its readiness to defend the mandate of Bende voters. It accused the Labour Party of trying to instil fear and panic among APC supporters.Labour Party rejected the allegations. In a statement by State Publicity Secretary Emenike Iroegbu, the party accused the APC of “deliberately inciting hatred, brewing bad blood and manufacturing false alarm” that could disrupt peaceful coexistence in the state.The LP said the APC raised the claim after the failure of what it called its “clannish incitement strategy.” The party stated: “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.”Both parties have urged security agencies and INEC to take necessary measures to protect electoral facilities and personnel ahead of the 2027 elections.

Source: APC, Labour Party Trade Accusations Over Bende Collation Centre Ahead of 2027 Polls



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