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Political parties urge probe of rising applicants for voter registration in Osun

By Timothy Agbor, Osogbo
27 July 2021   |   3:01 am
Some political parties in Osun State, yesterday, raised the alarm over the rising figure of applications received so far from the state on the online portal for the Continuous Voter Registration

Some political parties in Osun State, yesterday, raised the alarm over the rising figure of applications received so far from the state on the online portal for the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise organized by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

The parties, under the Forum of Progressive Political Parties (FPPP), said it appeared suspicious that Osun had been topping other states with skyrocketing figures and demanded a forensic audit of the number of CVR registrants from Osun.

The parties include African Democratic Congress (ADC), Labour Party, and Young Progressives Party (YPP).

The parties’ chairmen, Remi Ayanlade (YPP), Idowu Omidiji (ADC), and Bello Adebayo (LP), at a press conference in Osogbo, said it was suspicious that the number of applications from Osun was far higher than those of Anambra and Ekiti states that would hold their governorship elections before Osun.

“We have observed with serious concern the geometrical and skyrocketing figures emanating from the website of INEC on a weekly basis of the ongoing Continuous Voter Registration in Osun State. Hence, it has become imperative to update and brief the media and call the attention of the National Chairman of INEC, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, and his entire management to this scenario playing out in Osun State, just one out of the 36 states in Nigeria. This is totally suspicious and unexpected to us,” they stated.

“It is surprising and also very confusing that despite the fact that the Anambra and Ekiti states gubernatorial elections are both coming up before the July 16 Osun State gubernatorial election in 2022, the figures as copied from the INEC website indicated that as of July 26, 2021, Anambra State that is having election later this year has 65,014 fresh eligible voters while Ekiti State whose election is coming up in June 2022 has just registered 19,043 new and fresh voters, while Osun State has registered miraculously and amazingly 259,450 fresh voters. We dare say that there is no sufficient, logical, political, or economic justification for such an outrageous figure.

“It is also public knowledge that the ongoing CVR for fresh voters is being conducted online via the INEC website using the availability of the Internet. Is it not a miracle that a state like Osun, which has one of the lowest and weakest Internet penetrations, which is very far below that of Rivers, Kano, Abuja, and Lagos states in terms of Internet connectivity, usage and penetration has registered close to 300,000 persons in less than 30 days.

“We make bold to say that Forum of Progressive Political Parties in Osun State is greatly worried by the continuing reflection of events as being displayed by INEC and we hereby demand that an immediate forensic audit should be conducted on the generated and appropriated figures of Osun State to reveal the true position of things,” the chairmen said.

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