A pro-democracy organisation, Centre for Transparency and Advocacy, has demanded that members of Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs) of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) that were part of the last presidential election, be investigated for their alleged partisanship with politicians to sabotage and derail the election.
The organisation also called on INEC to investigate its officials at the local government areas; Supervisory Presiding Officers and dubious ad hoc staff, saying that all those involved in electoral malpractices should be arrested, prosecuted and punished adequately, to serve as a warning to others.
Faith Nwadishi, the Executive Director of CTA, stated this while giving a report of the group’s observations during the presidential and National Assembly elections. The report was titled, “The Good, the Bad, the Ugly.”
Nwadishi said, “INEC officials on the field claimed they had no codes to transmit the results; while in a statement issued by INEC, it said that there were technical glitches. These explanations did not sway Nigerians from strongly believing that some of the staff of the electoral umpire were compromised. Some results that were uploaded were either mutilated or had people’s photographs and in fact, unreadable.”
Under the heading, ‘Sabotage by some INEC field officers and electoral officers at the local government areas,’ the group said, “These set of Nigerians have always set the clock of democracy back due to their fraudulent activities in connivance with dubious politicians
“The role of Resident Electoral Commissioners at this time should be interrogated as some of them are alleged to be partisan and in connivance with politicians to derail due process.
“You may recall that CTA and other Civil Society Organisations condemned the appointment of some partisan Resident Electoral Commissioners leading up to the election. It appears that these set of INEC officials habitually work at variance with set guidelines and orders from the INEC headquarters. It was alleged that they hoarded result sheets and gave them out to highest bidders who apparently used the result sheets to tamper with actual outcomes of polls from the polling units.
“It was also alleged that these same group of INEC staff hoarded the codes and access to the BVAS hence the non-transmission of results from the polling units as stipulated by law. This is unacceptable and should be discouraged.
“INEC should as a matter of priority, set up an enquiry to investigate its staff, especially some Resident Electoral Commissioners, the Electoral Officers at the LGAs, supervisory presiding officers and dubious adhoc staff. We ask that all those involved in electoral malpractice should be arrested, prosecuted and punished adequately. This will serve as a deterrent.
“INEC should have the political will to cleanse itself of these putrid impurities that has cast doubts to its integrity and neutrality. The use of BVAS for upload of polling unit results should be used in the March 11, 2023 governorship and state Houses of Assembly elections.
“It was also alleged that these same group of INEC staff hoarded the codes and access to the BVAS hence the non-transmission of results from the polling units as stipulated by law. This is unacceptable and should be discouraged.
“INEC should as a matter of priority, set up an enquiry to investigate its staff, especially some Resident Electoral Commissioners, the Electoral Officers at the LGAs, supervisory presiding officers and dubious adhoc staff. We ask that all those involved in electoral malpractice should be arrested, prosecuted and punished adequately. This will serve as a deterrent.
The organisation concluded by saying: “INEC should have the political will to cleanse itself of these putrid impurities that has cast doubts on its integrity and neutrality. The use of BVAS for uploading polling unit results should be used in the March 11, 2023 governorship and state Houses of Assembly elections.”
