CUPP raises the alarm over alleged adulteration of voter register

• Says INEC boss under pressure to drop BVAS or be sacked
• Commission seeks review of polling units to tackle vote buying
• To meet Abdulsalami, and others ahead of campaigns

Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP), yesterday, raised the alarm that some forces have begun adulterating the voters register of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

It also alleged that a court case has been initiated secretly to compel INEC to stop the use of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS).

It claimed INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, is under pressure to drop the commission’s hard stance on compulsory use of the BVAS or get sacked.

Addressing a press conference in Abuja, CUPP spokesman, Ikenga Ugochinyere, said the coalition discovered a suit, to that effect, at the Owerri Federal High Court, filed on August 24, 2022.

The coalition also displayed extracts of the national voter’s register, which it claimed were part of, at least, 10 million fake registrations done by one of the political parties.

It alleged that names were sourced from within and outside Nigeria, including African countries, such as Ghana, Cameroun, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Togo, Guinea, Gambia, and foreign nations, like Jamaica, Brazil and New Zealand.

It also showed several registrations, which it claimed were captured from passport photographs and other photos.

Ugochinyere said what was more curious about the discoveries in the register was the fact that the majority of the foreign names were all born in 1983.

He said: “Many people were also shown to have been born between 1900 and 1914, yet their photographs were those of young people. Equally, many male photos had their gender written as female and vice versa.

“This move was erected as a safer option, as the alternative and the more risky option is to pre-load the BVAS machine with accreditation figures matching numbers of the illegal registrations and generating results in those areas.”

ALSO, Mahmood, yesterday, advocated a review of the configuration of polling units to address vote buying or inducement during elections.

This was disclosed at the commission’s retreat in Lagos, tagged: ‘Ekiti and Osun off-cycle governorship elections: Lessons for 2023 general elections.

Mahmood said once the integrity of the election process at the polling unit level is protected, the country’s election is as good as any credible voting.

He also said the commission will consult the Abdulsalami Abubakar-led National Peace Committee (NPC), ahead of the commencement of campaigns by political parties.