Accord Party Accuses APC of Hacking Plans in Osun Election

The Osun State branch of the Accord Party has accused the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state of bringing in election result hackers to a hotel in Osogbo, Osun State.

The party has also urged security agencies to act quickly and arrest those involved in this alleged illegal activity.

These claims were made in a statement released in Osogbo on Saturday, signed by the State Chairman of the Accord Party, Victor Akande.

The Accord Party further alleged that reliable reports showed the hackers were meant to break into the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) digital system and mess with the election results in Osun.

APC Responds to Allegations

In response, the APC spokesperson in Osun, Kola Olabisi, rejected the claims. He said the party will win the upcoming election without cheating.

Olabisi cautioned the Accord Party against making false claims. He said their fear of losing is what led them to accuse the APC.

But the Accord Party stood by its statement. They claimed, "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 strengthen its digital system and improve its ICT security in light of possible cyber threats from the APC.

Accord Calls for Action

Accord also urged security agencies to raid GMT hotel and other locations where they believe illegal activities are happening. They want to stop what they call anti-democracy actions.

While reaffirming their commitment to mobilising voters for the August 15 elections, Accord urged INEC to be vigilant. They warned that any attempt to hack or manipulate the upcoming polls will be opposed by the people.

The APC, in rejecting the allegations, called the Accord Party's claims “false and baseless.” They urged the public in Osun to ignore the accusations against them.

The statement 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 members who are spreading this rumor. It is nothing but a figment of the imagination of those spreading the rumor. 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.”

The PUNCH reports that 14 political parties have been cleared by the INEC to take part in the election. Accord is backing the incumbent governor, Ademola Adeleke, while the APC is supporting Bola Oyebamiji, the former CEO of the National Inland Waterways Authority. Both parties are among the leading ones as the election approaches.