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The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has described as baseless the allegations made by the Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP) that plans were afoot to rig the 2023 elections in favour of a political party.
What happened: CUPP had made certain claims regarding the credibility of the next year's elections, including insinuations that the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) was planning to stop the use of Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) for conduct of the polls.
Addressing a world press conference in Abuja on Wednesday, September 14, 2022, spokesperson of the coalition, Ikenga Imo Ugochinyere, claimed intelligence at his group's disposal revealed that the APC had filed a suit at the Owerri Federal High Court to prevent INEC from deploying BVAS for the 2023 elections.
CUPP also displayed extracts of the National Voters register, which it claimed were part of at least 10 million fake registrations done by one of the political parties.
Ugochinyere added that plans were underway to remove the Chairman of the commission, Professor Mahmood Yakubu, before the 2023 polls to smoothen the riggin plan.
INEC debunks CUPP claims: Reacting to the allegations, INEC cautioned the coalition against making claims that could unwittingly jeopardise the upcoming elections.
The electoral body said, while it encourages and respects the rights of citizens to demand accountability, it was also important exercise caution to protect the credibility of the electoral process.
This was disclosed in a statement issued by the commission on Thursday, September 15, 2022.
INEC statement read: “The attention of the Commission has been drawn to a report of a press conference addressed by the Coalition of United Political Parties on the Register of Voters for the 2023 general election.
“The Commission recognizes and respects the right of citizens, either as individuals and groups, to demand an explanation from public agencies, including INC, and to hold them accountable.
“However, it is always important that caution is exercised so that such interventions do not unwittingly sow doubts in the public mind, thereby diminishing public confidence and trust in the electoral process.
“Nigerians would recall that on 31st July 2022, the Commission suspended the Continuous Voter Registration to commence supplemental activities that will culminate in the integration of new registrants into the final Register of Voters for the 2023 General Election.
“It is important to reiterate that no new registrant has yet been added to the Register of Voters for the 2023 General Election or will be included until these supplemental activities have been completed in line with the law.
“For the avoidance of doubt, we restate the main components of these activities. First, the Commission is conducting a comprehensive Automated Biometric Identification System cleanup of the registration data by scrutinising every record.
“Based on the Electoral Act 2022, any record that does not meet all the criteria for inclusion as stipulated in Section 10, including the appearance in person by the registrant at the registration venue with proof of identity, age and nationality and our business rules requirements of an adequate number of fingerprints and clear pictures will be invalidated.
“Further, in line with Section 19(1) of the Electoral Act 2022, after the ABIS and clean up, the Commission shall appoint a period of seven days during which the register will be published for scrutiny by the public for objections and complaints.
“Finally, it is only after the cleanup and claims and objections have been completed that the final registration will be published.”