Udora Orizu in Abuja
Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP), Chairmen of political parties (registered and deregistered), and Heads of Political Associations on Wednesday alleged that there were plans being put in place by the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC) to intimidate the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) into abandoning the use of electronic transmission and uploading of election results, and to deactivate the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) machine from the commission’s server.
The political parties in a joint press conference in Abuja claimed they had intercepted intelligence of an alleged fresh plot against the 2023 election and this time being coordinated by leading figures of the ruling APC Party, APC Governors led by a South East APC Governor with controversial past and another from the North West who are working with their colleagues to perfect a plot to intimidate INEC leadership.
Speaking on their behalf, CUPP Spokesman, Ikenga Ugochinyere said the plot involved the use of security agencies, the Senate, and the court to cause a leadership crisis and change that will see to the removal of the Commission’s top leadership led by Prof Mahmud Yakubu and the appointment of a compromised acting Chairman who will ruin the credibility of the 2023 election.
He said the party Chairmen will storm USA, UK, and other foreign embassies to submit petitions and alert them of the alleged new conspiracy, adding that any plan to remove Prof. Mahmud Yakubu and top officials of INEC will not be accepted.
Ugochinyere said, “We, the Chairmen and leaders of different political parties here (AA, Labour, PDP, ADC, APP ETC), candidates of different parties, CSOS, and leaders of Opposition Coalition CUPP categorically state that any plan to destabilize INEC and force the top officials of the Commission including the INEC Chairman out of office, whether with trumped-up charges, manipulated security report, instigated or coordinated parliamentary investigation, a hurriedly obtained injunction from the court, a Code of Conduct Bureau inquiry or an arrest and hurried arraignment will not be accepted. We repeat, these will not be accepted by Nigerian political parties, party leaders, civil societies, and the generality of Nigerians.
“Any further actions in this direction will be playing with fire and a direct affront and challenge to Nigerian voters and the entire political parties, and it will be resisted vehemently. Read the mind, eyes, soul, and heart and hear the voice of the opposition. It will not augur well for anyone who continues with this alleged evil plot. We are also informed that there is a plot to cause a leadership change in the Commission’s top hierarchy and cause a sweeping change with less than 140 days to the elections. We have been tipped off by our intelligence both inside APC and the camp of the Governors in the conspiracy, and we can state that the opposition is in receipt of information that the INEC leadership, especially senior officials, are being put under immense pressure to abandon the use of the BVAS machine.”
