Election: APC denies influencing police commissioner for Kwara

Ten days to the presidential election, the two main parties again on Wednesday traded allegations of attempts to compromise the poll.

The Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP) fired the first salvo when it accused the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) of influencing the choice of a police commissioner for Kwara State ahead of the election.

The north-central state is a key battleground for the APC and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), which is the principal party in CUPP.

The state is currently under the PDP following the defection of Mr Saraki and all the elected political office holders in the state last year from the APC.

CUPP alleged that leaders of the APC were part of a conspiracy to announce Kayode Egbetokun, a former chief security officer to a national leader of APC, Bola Tinubu, as the new police commissioner in Kwara State.

The group named Vice President Yemi Osibanjo, APC National Chairman Adams Oshiomhole, and the party’s presidential campaign director general, Rotimi Amaechi, as the actors in the alleged conspiracy.

The coalition in a statement by its spokesperson, Imo Ugochinyere, said the police hierarchy had compromised to favour the APC in the elections.

CUPP threatened to pull out of the peace accord signed by all the parties if the alleged deployment goes ahead.

But the APC in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Lanre Issa-Onilu, on Wednesday said it is not within the rights or responsibility of any political organisation to dictate to agencies empowered by laws how to deliver on specific mandates.

“The APC National Chairman, Adams Oshiomhole, and indeed other senior party leaders mentioned in the infantile statement are too busy with the Next Level campaigns and engagements to be involved in the childish conspiracies and spurious allegations contained in the statement,” Mr Issa-Onilu said.

The APC described the CUPP as a nebulous group. It said the group’s allegations are laughable.

The APC alleged that the group was running errands for the Senate President, Bukola Saraki, whose control and influence in the state polity the APC said is being threatened.

Mr Saraki is a former two-term governor of Kwara and the leader of the PDP in the state.

“We believe that leaders, with a modicum of honour, should not tread the path of cowardice by hiding under nebulous groups to make unsubstantiated allegations,” Mr Issa-Onilu said.

“It is clear that Senator Saraki, the PDP, and their cronies are recollecting their usual practice of manipulating state institutions to achieve their political ends and are now scared of their own shadows.”

The ruling party said it has not copied “such dubious template” and does not intend to do so.