INEC Clears Air Over Resignation Of Its Chairman

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has debunked allegations by some opposition political parties and civil societies concerning the resignation of its chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu.

Naija News reports that the commission has said the INEC chairman is not under any form of pressure to resign before the 2023 general elections, as alleged. The Chief Press Secretary (CPS) to the INEC Chairman, Rotimi Oyekanmi was reported to have reiterated that all the allegations read in the media are rumours and not true. The commission also dismissed rumours that some politicians plan to force INEC to drop the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS). According to Oyekanmi, the Commission is not contemplating dropping the BVAS, adding that there is no going back on the deployment of the technology for next year’s polls. He advanced that “the Commission is not contemplating dropping the BVAS. It has come to stay. The BVAS will be used for all elections to be handled by INEC going forward, including the 2023 General election.” Speaking about the alleged sack of the INEC chair, he said “I am not aware of any ‘heightening pressure’ on the INEC chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu to resign. As you are aware, the 2023 general election is about four months away and preparations for this all-important poll are ongoing. The INEC chairman is focused on delivering a free, fair, credible and inclusive General election. This is what is pre-occupying his mind at the moment.” Recall that Naija News reported earlier that information emerged over an alleged plot to remove the INEC Chairman before the 2023 elections. The Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP) had raised an alarm over an alleged plot to remove Yakubu, saying the move is to undermine the 2023 general election. Naija News gathered that the coalition, which made the allegation during a press conference last Wednesday in Abuja, comprises the majority of the opposition political parties in the country. According to the CUPP spokesperson, Ikenga Ugochinyere, who spoke on behalf of the opposition parties, the coalition had also discovered fresh plots to deactivate the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) from being used in the election and ultimately stop the electronic transmission of results at the polls. He alleged that the plot was being planned by a top member of the ruling All Progressives Congress(APC) in the South-East region of the party.

This article was originally published on Naija News