Enugu: Unknown Gunmen Attack INEC Registration Officials

Chuks Okocha in Osogbo, Blessing Ibunge in Port Harcourt and David-Chyddy Eleke in Awka

Some officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), involved in the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise, were on Wednesday 13th July, 2022,  attacked by unknown gunmen in Community Primary School Umuopu in Umuozzi Ward 19 of Igboeze North Local Government Area, Enugu State.

This was disclosed by the National Commissioner and Chairman Information and Voter Education Committee,  Festus Okoye, in a statement on Thursday.

Okoye, who noted that the Administrative Secretary in Enugu State, Mr. Jude Okwuonu, reported that the incident took place at about 2.30pm, added that the gunmen fired sporadically into the air to disperse registrants and registration officials.

He further disclosed that in the ensuing stampede, one INEC staff sustained injuries and was receiving treatment in a hospital, while two voter registration machines and personal items of the staff such as mobile phones were lost.

Meanwhile, INEC said it has commenced investigation to unravel the fact behind the alleged discovery of permanent voters cards (PVCs) in a drainage in Obio/Akpor, Rivers State.
There was a video trending on the social media, where some unidentified persons recovered so many voters’ cards from a drainage within Rumuodara axis in the area.

In reaction to the video clip,  Mr. Richter Alabraba, Administrative Secretary of INEC in Rivers State, disclosed that the issue has been reported to the security agencies for an urgent investigation.

Speaking too on the development, Okoye said, “We have commenced immediate investigation and anyone found culpable in this diabolical scheme clearly intended to disenfranchise Nigerians will be sanctioned under the law.

“Every eligible Nigerian who registered as a voter is entitled to his/her PVC. The constitutional right to vote in any election must never be suppressed or abridged in any way.

“As far as the record of the Commission is concerned, PVCs have been printed for all valid registrants in Nigeria up to 14th January 2022 and delivered to all the States of the Federation for collection by voters. We will not allow retrogressive elements to sabotage our efforts.”

Relatedly, a group, International College of Democracy and Human Rights has called on INEC to address areas that can cause disenfranchisement and rigging of the coming 2023 presidential election.

The group also said beyond disenfranchising many, it has uncovered ways the election might be rigged, and called on the commission to address them.

In a statement by principal officers of the group, including Emeka Umeagbalasi, a human rights activist, the group which consists of academics, rights activists, international organizations listed 20 ways the commission was disenfranchising many, and 10 ways it planned to rig the election.