AGNES NWORIE, ABAKALIKI
The People’s Democratic Party in Ebonyi State has accused the All Progressives Congress-led government of PVC racketeering ahead of the 2023 general elections in the state.
Recall that the Ebonyi State Government announced that prospective job seekers in the state Civil Service whose names appeared on the state’s job list should appear for written interviews on designated dates with their permanent voters cards as criteria to be granted access into interview venues.
The PDP’s Publicity Secretary in the state, Chika Nwoba, accused Governor David Umahi’s government in a statement of announcing alleged smokescreen employment interview in a bid to dispossess unsuspecting unemployed citizens of their permanent voters cards.
The party advised the affected job seekers to resist attempts by government agents to intimidate and dispossess them of their PVCs, describing the attempt as barbaric and against the Civil Service rules.
They said, “The attention of the People’s Democratic Party, Ebonyi State chapter has been drawn to the plan by the APC-led Ebonyi State Government to racket PVCs of citizens who applied for recruitment into the state’s civil service scheduled to hold this month at different locations in the state.
“In the notice flier in circulation, which was duly signed by the Secretary to the State Government, Dr Kenneth Ugbala, the government ordered prospective applicants to come along with their PVCs as a basic requirement for participation.
“We have observed that the government plans to harvest thousands of PVCs from these applicants and others during the Christmas season as requirements for accessing different packages from the government. This is not only barbaric and in contravention of laid down procedures for civil service recruitment process, but a criminal ploy to amass PVCs which will be used to rig the 2023 general elections in Ebonyi State.
“It’s in the light of this that we alert security agencies, the Independent National Electoral Commission and the general public to this nefarious scheme by the Ebonyi State Government and urge prospective applicants for the Saturday civil service recruitment exercise to be cautious of the plan to rip them off their future and franchise power.
“We charge them to resist the attempt as the recruitment exercise in reality is a smokescreen for the main purpose which is to collect their PVCs and then tell stories over the outcome of the exercise.
“Therefore, the INEC and security agents should be in the knowledge of this plan and act accordingly towards forestalling any possibility of PVCs racketeering exercise ahead of the 2023 general elections in Ebonyi State.”
Efforts to get reaction from the acting Head of Service in the state, Jennifer Adibe. were not successful as of press time.
