The International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law (Intersociety), the South-East Zone of the Civil Liberties Organization (South-East CLO) and the South-East Based Coalition of Human Rights and Democracy Organizations (SBCHRDOs) have alleged that the deployment of nine Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs) to Imo by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) ahead of the state’s November 11, 2023 Governorship Election amounts to “too many cooks spoil the soup”. “It is also a clear case of rigging plot. Based on the realities on the ground including the recent antecedents of the deployed nine RECs, they are also incurably incapable and incompetent to conduct free, fair, secured and credible Governorship Poll in the State,” the groups said in a statement issued in Enugu, Eastern Nigeria, today, Thursday, November 9, 2023. The statement was signed by Emeka Umeagbalasi and Chidinma Udegbunam for Intersociety; Comrade Aloysius Emeka Attah for South-East CLO; and Prof Jerry Chidozie Chukwuokolo for SBCHRDOs.

According the groups, “The INEC decision under strong condemnation is also seen as introduction of a new rigging dimension and methodology camouflaged as “extraordinary moves or efforts geared towards free and fair Nov 11, 2023 Governorship Election in Imo State”. It is possible that the Commission is attempting to outsmart the public and democracy watchers and advocates by this latest move; otherwise why such hasty and over-bloated deployment of nine RECs for a State Governorship Poll particularly in Imo? Are they truly being deployed for free, fair, secured and credible election or for purpose of mathematically plotting and re-plotting of figures from harvested and written results to a favored candidate(s)? Is it not correct to say that the Commission was frightened by our recent submissions to the effect that “from general evaluation of the current state of affairs in Imo (i.e. fears, chaos and bloodletting gripping the State since Jan 2021), the Governorship Election is most likely going to be determined by not more than 300,000 votes with a winner scoring not more than 130,000 votes or not less than 90,000 in the atmosphere of one-man-vote-one-vote contest”.

“We had in our press conference of Sunday, October 29, 2023 added that “a clear case in point was the outcome of the Nov 6, 2021 Anambra Governorship Election where (now) Gov Charles Soludo of APGA emerged as the winner with 112, 229 votes out of total lawful votes cast of 249, 631; representing 10.12 percent of the State’s registered PVC holders which stood at 2, 466, 638”. Is it not therefore correct to say that the nine RECs are coming with rigging statisticians to retire to the drawing board and come up with fresh mathematical figures in favor of a preferred candidate; such as “reversing the originally planned 500,000-1m harvested and written results to downward figure of 140,000-200,000 dead votes for the “winner” and 300,000-350,000 votes as total “lawful votes cast”?”

Continuing, the groups said: “It must be clearly pointed out to all and sundry that most of Intersociety’s advocacy statistics and other pieces of information are superbly incontrovertible and intelligence sourced. The role of the INEC in the shambolic 2023 General Polls legitimized by the Judiciary has given every inch of reason to continue to distrust the Commission until further notice. All of the above also explain why Intersociety’s letter to INEC Chair, Prof Mahmood Yakubu, dated Sept 25, 2023 and received by his staff same date was a booby trap and as expected, the Commission woefully failed to act on the letter till date. Having thoroughly followed the Commission since 2015 and recently since June 2021 ahead of the Nigeria’s shambolic 2023 Presidential Polls, it has become almost impossibility for us at Intersociety, South-East CLO and South-East Based Rights and Democracy Coalition to trust the Commission until situation changes. The Commission’s total failure to address critical “INEC-in-House” issues raised in our letter of Sept 25, 2023 regarding the Imo Governorship Election was not surprising. A case in point and very laughable and watery was the Commission’s defense as why it refused to transfer Imo REC, Prof Sylvia Agu and overhaul its key departments in the State to restore an iota of public trust and confidence.

“Further, it must be clearly stated that our request for transfer of REC, Prof Sylvia Agu, seven key heads of INEC Departments in the State including HOD-Voter Education, HOD-ICT, Public Relations Officer, Acting Administrative Secretary, Sub-Head of ICT Department, Acting HOD-Operations and HOD Legal); eleven LGAs’ Electoral Officers (Eos) in charge of Owerri West, Nwerre, Mbaitoli, Ezinihitte-Mbaise, Ngokpala, Isiala-Mbano, Okigwe, Onuimo, Orlu, Orsu and Oru as well as Mrs. Gloria Ogbuechi (INEC EO for Nkanu East in the 2023 Governorship Election in Enugu State where she produced controversial and highly disputed results and was reportedly posted to Imo State recently) had strictly bordered conflict of interest and vested interests. The Imo REC, Prof. Sylvia Agu, for instance, is the blood sister of APC Deputy National Chairman (South)-Chief Emma Enukwu from Enugu State who also most likely played a role in her being nominated as a REC/Imo REC; thereby portraying her as ‘a partisan REC’.”

On “Parcels of Hard Currencies (.i.e. US Dollars) Reportedly Flying in Imo”, the rights groups said: “Parcels of hard currencies including US dollars are reported to be flying from left, right and center in Imo State ahead of its Nov 11 Governorship Poll. ‘Flying US Dollar Parcels’ are also said to be so intimidating and irresistible to conscienceless men and women tasked with the conduct and security and safety of the Poll-with intents to influencing the Poll and brutally robbing the voting population of their sacred and inalienable rights to credibly and legitimately elect the next Governor of the State. Further available intelligence reports are also pointing in the direction of some, if not many INEC designated ROs, Eos, AEOs and Supervisors and Election Duty security agents and their commanders majorly drawn from the Police and the Military as key targeted recipients.

“The most shocking was the fact that the currencies originated from naira versions and drawn from public treasuries within and outside the State comprising earned and borrowed public funds. Situations have severally arisen in recent years whereby teaching staffers of tertiary institutions and ‘semi-expert Eos’ are reported to have been found celebrating the issuance of appointment letters to them as Election Day Returning Officers or Eos much more than their celebration when they obtained their doctorate degree holders or Master’s Degrees or when some were made professors. Their electoral letters of appointment were said to be much celebrated in anticipation of ill-gotten money to be made from politicians in Election Day related assignments.”

According to Intersociety, South-East CLO and SBCHRDOs, “The rigging-enemy Governorship candidates in Imo State are strongly called upon not to fold their hands and rely on INEC’s promises. They must avoid being totally shocked and disappointed in the end. The candidates, as a matter of fact, must mathematically face INEC in the polling units and ward collation centers and compel the Commission to conduct free, fair, secured and credible Governorship Election in Imo State. The candidates must particularly apply “demographic field algebra” to get the job done.”

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