The Centre for Leadership Legacy International (CLLI) has expressed outrage and disappointment over the acceptance of results from the Kogi Central Senatorial District amidst allegations of gross fraud there in the just concluded Kogi governorship election by the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC).
An open letter signed by the Centre’s Lead Director, Comr Omonu YG Nelson and addressed to President Bola Tinubu described INEC’s decision as a betrayal of the Nigerian people’s trust and a mockery of democratic principles. The group called on the President to launch a thorough and independent investigation into the Kogi Central election and to review INEC’s mandate to ensure that it is adequately equipped and empowered to conduct credible, fair, and transparent elections.
“The Kogi Central election was allegedly marred by widespread irregularities, including flaglante disregard for INEC’s laid-down rules. The use of BVAS (Biometric Voter Authentication System) for voter accreditation was blatantly ignored, and results were arbitrarily written, leading to discrepancies.
Despite INEC’s clear rule that results should be canceled where over-voting occurs, the electoral umpire inexplicably accepted these fraudulent results into its server,” the letter reads in part.
The CLLI’s letter comes as INEC faces mounting criticism over its handling of the Kogi governorship election. The election was widely seen as a test of INEC’s independence and credibility, but the commission’s decision to accept ‘the fraudulent’ results has raised serious concerns about its ability to conduct fair and credible elections in the future.
“The Centre calls for an investigation into the Kogi Central election, and it is important to identify and sanction those responsible for this electoral malpractice, so that such incidents do not happen again.
“INEC must also be held accountable for its actions. The commission must be convinced that such electoral fraud will not be tolerated in Nigeria.
“Mr. President, this is the first election that INEC has conducted under your administration. You have a unique opportunity to demonstrate your commitment to electoral integrity and to restore public confidence in INEC.
“We implore you to seize this opportunity to send a clear message that electoral fraud will not be tolerated in Nigeria going forward.”