Osun Election: Accord accuses APC of harbouring result hackers

The Osun State chapter of the Accord Party has accused the state leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) of allegedly bringing in and accommodating individuals suspected of hacking election results at a hotel in Osogbo.

The party urged security agencies to urgently investigate the allegation and arrest anyone found to be involved in the alleged illegal activity.

The allegation was made in a statement released in Osogbo on Saturday and signed by the Accord Party’s Osun State Chairman, Victor Akande.

Akande called on relevant authorities to take immediate action to prevent any attempt to compromise the electoral process in the state.

The APC had yet to publicly respond to the allegation as of the time of filing this report.

The party further alleged that credible reports indicated that the hackers were to hack the Independent National Electoral Commission digital system and tamper with Osun election results.

In a swift response, the Osun APC spokesperson, Kola Olabisi, dismissed the allegations, saying the party would win the coming poll without engaging in electoral fraud.

Olabisi warned the Accord Party against frivolous claims, saying fear of defeat was responsible for the allegations raised against the APC by the Accord Party.

But Accord, in its release, insisted that, “The hackers were brought in from Lagos and Abuja and they have set up an operational center at the hotel. Their target is to compromise the INEC electronic system to impute fake election results into the INEC server.

“The party called on the electoral commission to firm up its digital system and strengthen its ICT security in the face of cyber threats from the opposition APC.

“We also call on security agencies to raid the GMT hotel and other illegal centers to stop the ongoing anti-democracy activities.”

While again reaffirming its readiness to mobilise voters and win the August 15 polls, Accord charged INEC to be on guard and review its digital plan, warning that hacking and manipulating next Saturday’s polls would be resisted by the people.

The APC, in rejecting the allegation, described Accord Party’s claim as “false and baseless”, urging the electorate in the state to disregard the accusation against it.

The release partly read, “The allegation that our party is harbouring hackers in a particular hotel in Osogbo is false without any foundation, and there is no basis for that.

“It is an attempt to lower the esteem of our party in the eyes of the right-thinking members of society. Our party does not need to rig any election before our candidate, Bola Oyebamiji, wins the election.

“It is the fear of losing the election that is haunting the Accord Party functionaries who are peddling the information. It is nothing but a figment of the imagination of those peddling the rumour. There is nothing like that. If they are sure that we are harbouring any hacker, the right place for the Accord Party to go is the police.”

Very Nigerian reports that although 14 political parties have been cleared by the Independent National Electoral Commission to participate in the poll, Accord, which is fielding the incumbent governor, Ademola Adeleke, and the APC, whose candidate is the former Chief Executive Officer of the National Inland Waterways Authority, Bola Oyebamiji, are the two leading parties going into the week of the election.

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