Opposition political parties under the umbrella of the Conference of United Political Parties (CUPP) and other Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) on Wednesday raised the alarm over plot to remove Prof Mahmood Yakubu as chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
This was made known by CUPP spokesperson, Ikenga Imo Ugochinyere, at a joint press conference held in Abuja, which had representatives from Labour Party, PDP, AA, ADC, APP, among others.
Ugochinyere alleged that some persons within the ruling APC have hatched a plan to force INEC to stop electronic transmission of 2023 election results and deactivate the Bi-modal Voter Accreditation System, BIVAS, from the INEC server during the 2023 general elections.
They alleged that there was immense pressure on the leadership of the INEC to deactivate the BIVAS from the server, which has been resisted by INEC hence the plot by the ruling party’s agents led by some governors to cause a leadership change in the electoral management body which will consume top officials including the chairman and the few national commissioners who are still insisting on the use of the BIVAS.
The opposition coalition also resolved to petition the United Kingdom High Commission and the United States Embassy to alert them of the alleged new conspiracy which they said threatens the Nigerian electoral process and regional stability.
They also resolved to immediately approach the court to seek judicial redress to ensure the electoral process is not derailed.
The suit, when filed, will restrain the Federal Government, DSS, Nigeria Police, National Assembly, ICPC, CCB, EFCC, CCT, and Attorney General of the Federation, from stopping the use of BIVAS, deactivating BIVAS from the INEC Server, removing of the INEC Chairman, arresting or using an ex parte injunction to suspend him, suspending him from office under any guise or any form of detention with the intention to remove him from acting as INEC chairman.
