The Imo State Government and the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in the State have disagreed over the mastermind behind the alleged irregularities in the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) voter registration in the state.
Recall that the Spokesman for the Conference of United Political Parties, Ikenga Ugochinyere, recently raised an alarm, alleging that the register for Omuma Ward, which is Gov. Hope Uzodimma’s place, contained fictitious and fraudulent names.
The party accused the State Government of complicity in the alleged fraud. In a reaction at a news briefing on Saturday in Owerri, the Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr Declan Emelumba, described the allegation as reckless, irresponsible and seditious.
Emelumba said that the allegation “could only have come from a jaundiced, mischievous mindset”.
He called for the immediate arrest of Ugochinyere, who is the PDP’s candidate for Ideato Federal Constituency in the 2023 elections.
“On the claim that Omuma ward had fewer than 6,000 registered voters in 2014, I have it on good authority from verified INEC data that the ward had almost 10,000 voters as at 2014 and had 23,000 registered by 2019.
“This is obviously because many indigenes of the ward came home to register to be able to vote for their son, who was contesting the governorship election.
“It is therefore clear that Ugochinyere either hacked into INEC’s server and doctored documents therefrom or forged the document he was brandishing. Either way is criminal and it is important that he is immediately arrested for questioning,” the commissioner said.
Responding to Emelumba’s reaction, the state PDP Publicity Secretary, Mr Collins Opuruozor, said that the party would not tolerate any attack, threat or harassment of its candidate by the State Government.
“Not a single hair shall fall from Ugochinyere’s head, nor a scratch found on his body,” Opuruozor said.
He urged INEC to carefully look into the allegation, saying that it was a treasonable offence, capable of truncating the country’s democracy, if proven to be true.
He also challenged the security agencies to carry out painstaking investigations into the matter, vis-a-vis the governor’s alleged involvement in the saga.
“We commend the shrewdness and dexterity brought to bear by our candidate in exposing the suspected monumental electoral malfeasance,” Opuruozor said.
IPAC, Imo Govt urge caution among politicians
Meanwhile, state chapter of the Inter Party Advisory Council (IPAC), including the Imo State Government have called for caution in the handling of the alleged compromise of the INEC voter register in the state.
They also urged politicians to desist from any act capable of hitting up the polity ahead of the 2023 general elections. They made the call in separate reactions to the claim by the Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP) that the voter register in Imo and 20 other states had been compromised.
The Spokesman for CUPP, Mr Ikenga Ugochinyere, had alleged that inflated figures and fictitious names were uncovered in the voter register for Omuma Ward of Gov. Hope Uzodimma. The Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr Declan Emelumba, dismissed the allegation as “reckless, irresponsible and seditious.
“It could only have come from a jaundiced, mischievous mindset,” he said. Emelumba said that the establishment of a tertiary institution at Omuma could have accounted for the existence of non-Igbo names in the voter register.
According to him, only those who hack INEC’s server can gain access to the commission’s information that has yet to be brought to public knowledge.
He, therefore, urged relevant security agencies to arrest and investigate CUPP and its spokesman, in order to ascertain their source of information.
“Imo is not on INEC’s official list of states guilty of fictitious registration of voters and INEC has not completed the Automated Biometric Verification of the system.
“The exercise must be concluded before an official voter register can be released to the public. It is therefore clear that Ugochinyere has either hacked into INEC server and doctored documents there or forged the document he was brandishing.
“Either way is criminal and it is important that he is immediately arrested for questioning,” the commissioner said.
Also reacting, the state Chairman of IPAC, Mr Levi Ekeh, said it was premature to make such allegation when INEC had yet to publish a cleaned up voter register for public scrutiny.
Ekeh said INEC had no doubt introduced a lot of innovations to allay peoples’ fear regarding the 2023 General Elections.
“We as a body commend their good efforts so far. At the same time, we caution them that Imo people, Nigerians and the entire world are watching them as unbiased umpires to deliver free, credible, fair and acceptable elections in 2023.
“In line with the Electoral Act, after the Automated Biometric Identification System and clean up, the commission shall display the voter register for seven days for the public to scrutinise and raise objections and complaints,” Ekeh said.
He said that the allegation by CUPP could only become an issue, if INEC failed to address the objections and complaints raised.
He said that INEC would publish the final register after treating the objections and complaints.
While recognising the rights of citizens to speak out in a democratic process, IPAC called for patience and understanding at this critical moment of the country’s electoral process.