Four Govs, Top INEC Officials Accused Of Voter Suppression, Election Rigging

Four sitting Governors and top officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) have been accused of election rigging and voter suppression.

A human rights group, the International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law (Intersociety) made the accusation in a statement signed by its Chairman, Board of Trustees (BoT), Emeka Umeagbalasi, and other principal officers.

The group accused Governors Nyesom Wike of Rivers State; Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna; Hope Uzodinma of Imo; and Dave Umahi of Ebonyi State of voter suppression and election rigging.

Intersociety also accused INEC Chairman, Prof Mahmood Yakubu and the National Commissioner for Voter Education, and Publicity, Festus Okoye, among others of rigging.

The group also dragged those accused to 31 foreign missions including US and EU and called for their visa bans and other inter-country entry restrictions.

It also demanded that the missions block international engagements and recognitions of the listed public figures over their alleged involvement in the electoral malpractice which occurred during the February 25 presidential elections in Nigeria.

The group also requested the 31 foreign missions to repatriate the properties of the aforementioned names and their families to Nigeria.

The statement read in part: “Particularly, Prof Mahmood Yakubu and Festus Okoye Esquire should be stripped of international forums and opportunities to speak emptily and noisily and stop from receiving undue international attention and recognitions and permanently barred from traveling to any of the 31 respected Democratic countries named including their nuclear family members.

”Holistically review future funding and international democracy support funds to INEC and its rubberstamping CSOs including scholarships and sponsorship of their international visitations and exchange programs and speech deliveries.

“Downward review of funding of Election Day monitoring and upward review of supporting independent CSOs’ critical oversight on INEC especially during Continuous Voters’ Registration and Distribution of Permanent Voters’ Cards to discourage disenfranchisement and enhance enfranchisement

“Mount sufficient pressure and tying future democracy support funding to INEC on full digitalization of voting process or dualization of voting in the country or any part thereof to include electronic PVC and manual PVC voting; whereby registered voters can vote from their homes or choose to vote physically at polling units with their votes count.”