Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA), yesterday, stated that keeping sensitive and non-sensitive election materials with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) questions Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) credibility and neutrality for the February 25 and March 11 general elections.
In a statement by its National Coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko, the group maintained: “It is a known fact that the CBN Governor, Godwin Emefiele, is a registered member of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and some proxies had obtained form for him to participate in the presidential primary of the party last June.
INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, on June 4, 2022, had subsequently said sensitive electoral materials would, in the meantime, no longer be routed through the CBN due to current circumstances.”
However INEC National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, Festus Okoye, reportedly told the media that the commission had printed and delivered most of the sensitive materials, such as results and ballot papers, and kept them with the CBN for movement to the commission’s local government offices across the federation.
He said INEC has taken delivery of full complement of Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) for the 176,606 polling units in Nigeria and would be deployed across the 774 councils.
