The Edo State chapter of the All Progressives Congress has called on the Independent National Electoral Commission to cancel the continuous voters registration exercise scheduled to begin on Monday.
The Acting State Chairman, Jarret Tenebe, made the call in a statement issued on Sunday in Benin City, citing the destruction of voter enrollment machines and other equipment by floodwaters that submerged the election umpire’s state headquarters.
Tenebe hinted that the party had previously raised concerns about potential bias in the registration exercise, alleging that INEC had compromised the process to favor the Peoples Democratic Party.
The flood damage has raised further doubts about the integrity of the exercise, prompting the APC to demand its cancellation, according to Daily Post.
This development highlights the challenges facing Nigeria’s electoral process and the need for vigilance to ensure the integrity of democratic processes.
He said, “We have received credible intelligence indicating that certain officials within the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, have been compromised and are colluding with the outgoing Edo State government to manipulate the voter registration process in favor of the Peoples’ Democratic Party, PDP.
“The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Edo State, has officially alerted the public of the unprecedented damage inflicted upon its facilities and equipment (especially the IVED as a result of heavy rainfall on Friday night, when a torrential downpour hit Benin City.
“The downpour resulted in severe flooding and damage to the Commission’s perimeter fence with the resultant destruction submerged our sensitive materials.
“INEC REC confirmed that all offices located downstairs of the building, including the crucial ICT building, were completely destroyed.”
He said as a result of the damages, the Commission cannot pretend to be determined to ensure that the CVR exercise proceeds as scheduled.
He noted that the Commission’s decision to continue with the registration exercise amidst the destruction was unacceptable to APC as an interested party.
Tenebe said the party also rejected the plan of the Commission to relocate to its Ikpoba Okha Local Government Area office as temporary ‘State Headquarters’ for the Continuous Voters Registration.
“We also condemn the plan of bringing in additional machines from neighboring states including Delta and Bayelsa. These are all premeditated and only confirms our earlier position that a Director of INEC’s Bayelsa ICT office is a wife to a PDP chieftain in Edo State. We don’t want a situation where names are pre-filled in the data capturing machines.
“In the existing circumstances, we believe the wise option for INEC is the immediate cancellation of the CVR exercise and prioritize the safety and well-being of its staff and the general public more than anything else.
“We demand that INEC must address the aftermath of the flooding squarely and restore its operations to full functionality before resuming any electoral activities.
“Any attempt to proceed with the CVR exercise under current conditions would not only jeopardize the integrity of the voter registration process but also undermine the trust and confidence of the Edo electorate in the electoral system. We demand to be heard”, he stated.