Posted by Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) have said that there is a big plan to get the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to stop sending the 2023 general elections over the Internet.
The allegation, which is coming from the opposition and other concerned Nigerians, also showed that plans were being made to put pressure on the electoral Commission to deactivate the Bi-modal Voter Accreditation System (BIVAS) from the server, including stirring up a possible change in the leadership of INEC.
Ugo Ikenga Ugochinyere, a spokesman for CUPP, said at a press conference on Wednesday in Abuja that “there was immense pressure on the leadership of INEC to deactivate the BIVAS from the server, which pressure has been resisted by INEC, hence the plot by the ruling party’s agents, led by some governors, to start the plot to cause a leadership change in the electoral management body.”
The plan is also being put together in a way that will involve top officials like the Chairman and the few National Commissioners who still want to use BIVAS.
The CSOs that don’t like the plans have decided to write to the UK High Commission and the US Embassy to tell them about the new plot, which they say threatens the Nigerian election process and stability in the region.
The groups say that the international community will be asked to keep a close eye on the process as development partners and to make sure there is enough monitoring and support to make sure that the right things are done in line with the laws that are already in place.
One of the groups, the CUPP, said it plans to go to court right away to get help so that the elections don’t get messed up. It also said, “When the suit is filed, it will stop 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 the INEC Chairman, arresting
A few weeks ago, the CUPP found out that the registration of voters in some states controlled by the All Progressives Congress (APC) had been hacked in a secret operation called “Omuma Magic.” The opposition demanded that the people behind this “mafia operation” be arrested and brought to justice.
“The BIVAS is an electronic machine that will be used to electronically register all voters in the 2023 general election. It will also be used to send election results from the Polling Units directly to the INEC central server.
The CUPP Spokesman said, “The BVAS was used in the last three cycles of governorship elections in Anambra, Ekiti, and Osun states, and it was seen to have improved the overall credibility of the elections by getting rid of problems like stealing result sheets and changing results at the collation centers.”