The group in a letter to the INEC Chairman Prof Mahmood Yakubu, through INEC Chairman, Information and Voter Education, Festus Okoye, listed what they described as “20 citizens’ disenfranchisement and 10 election rigging plots ahead of the 2023 General Elections particularly the Presidential segment.”
A coalition of human rights organisations under the aegis of International College of Democracy and Human Rights has accused the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of attempting to rig the 2023 general elections in favour of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
The group in a letter to the INEC Chairman Prof Mahmood Yakubu, through INEC Chairman, Information and Voter Education, Festus Okoye, listed what they described as “20 citizens’ disenfranchisement and 10 election rigging plots ahead of the 2023 General Elections particularly the Presidential segment.”
The letter, which SaharaReporters obtained on Thursday, is titled: “40 Professors, 10 Int’l Scholars, Two Respected American/Swiss Rights Campaigners, 20 PhDs, 20 Lawyers, 19 Northern Clerics, 11 Eastern CSO Leaders And Other Respected Democracy And Human Rights Experts Write To INEC, Exposing 30 Citizens’ Disenfranchisement And Election-Rigging Plots And Strongly Request Them To Be Critically Addressed And Tackled Headlong In Addition To 16-Point Demands Ahead Of The 2023 General Elections.”
Among other demands, the group gave INEC seven days from the date of receipt of their letter to tackle the concerns raised,
“Addressing the issue of registration of aliens across borders including Southern Niger Republic and closing of the same and immediate deletion from the National Register of Voters of those already captured, if true.
“Some of the alleged disenfranchisement and rigging plots are; “Non-issuance or discriminatory issuance of PVCs to registered voters on the grounds of their ethnicity or religion
“Registration of minors and aliens as voters with intent to roguishly out-populate other legitimate members of the general population and maintain false demographic numerical superiority over others
“Official padding on continuous basis of the voting figures of particular ethno-religious members of the general voting population with intent to continuously out-populate others and rig elections such as the Presidential Poll in favor of the appointing authorities or institutions or favored another.
“Organising or sponsoring group violence against another group/citizens seeking to be registered as voters so as to massively disenfranchise them on the grounds of their tribe and religion.
“Instigation of group violence and other coordinated attacks against members of a particular voting population on the grounds of their faith and tribe for purpose of massively disenfranchising them, as was widely the case in non-native areas of Lagos, Kano, Plateau, FCT, Kaduna and others in the 2019 Presidential and Governorship Elections.
“Padding up by malicious electoral officials using crooked computer software, of voting figures and inflation of results to favor the favored candidates. Programming of voting capturing machines for widespread failures, to be targeted at the opposition strong-holds for the purpose of mass disenfranchisement of members of the affected voting population,” among other allegations.
The 13-page letter was signed by Prof Jerry Chukwuokolo, Dr. Patrick Mbum, Rev Dr Ahaz Taye, and Emeka Umeagbalasi among others.