From Fred Itua, Abuja
The Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP) on Monday passed a vote of confidence in the chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof Mahmood Yakubu, for removing over 2.7 million unqualified registrants.
CUPP spokesman Ikenga Imo Ugochinyere also commended the Commission for conducting an internal inquiry into the compromise of the voters’ register, described as ‘Omuma Magic’.
He commended the INEC Chairman, Prof. Yakubu Mahmood and its commission for “publishing the voter register on its website, a move that gave Nigerians the ultimate power to be involved in the quest for transparency and cleaning up of the register by allowing them to view and make input that the Nigerian opposition family unanimously pass a vote of confidence on the National Chairman of INEC, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu and the National Commissioners.”
According to him, INEC Chairman “has so far shown courage, wisdom, commitment, faith, and capacity to ensure that the 2023 general election is transparent, credible, free, fair, and acceptable.
“He has also, by the publication, proven beyond reasonable doubt that INEC, at the highest level, is not complicit in the compromise of the register and that he has nothing to hide.”
Ugochinyere said that “the fact that INEC has opened the largest database of citizens in the country for scrutiny by Nigerians who are the actual owners of the data is most commendable.
“No one can do it better than the citizens themselves. By providing access to the data, INEC is willing to work with Nigerians and we all should work with them rather than picking faults.
“Therefore, we call on Nigerians to go to the INEC website (display the site boldly written), check for their names, and make observations and objections concerning any other names on the register. Are there faces that look underage, persons known to be dead, or, indeed, any other type of observation? Kindly make the complaints and observations to INEC.
“We hereby call on all Chairmen of opposition political parties and the few honest members of the ruling APC to encourage citizen participation in cleaning up the register.
“We also call on religious leaders in churches, mosques, shrines, temples, and wherever to urge their adherents to check the registers. We also call on all traditional rulers and leaders, sociocultural groups, Civil Society Organisations, the media, and all citizens to participate in this process to help secure our elections.
“For those who may not know the official channel to make the complaints to INEC, you may forward such to us through my Twitter handle, @IkengaImo, or my Facebook: Ikenga Imo Ugochinyere so that it will be done as part of our comprehensive submission back to INEC. (Show both handles). Already we have observed under-aged voters as well as duplicated photos and names.
“At the Secretariat, we have noticed massive under age registration, duplicated photos and names particularly in states like Kano, Borno, Katsina, Jigawa and Kaduna States. These observations are already been complained to the Commission and Nigerians should be assured that every valid complaint will be considered and action taken by the commission as they have assured us that all objections will be addressed which is why they published the register online and ward and local levels. As many as you see and can complain, we urge Nigerians to do so.”