2023: CUPP Alleges Plot to Stop Use of BVAS, Sack INEC Chair

Udora Orizu in Abuja

The Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP), yesterday, alleged that there were moves to use a secret court action to stop the use of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) machine in the upcoming 2023 general election and also remove the National Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Mahmood Yakubu.

Addressing a world press conference in Abuja, spokesperson of the opposition parties, Ikenga Imo Ugochinyere, said their vigilance team following credible intelligence, discovered the Suit at the Owerri Federal High Court, where it was filed since the 24th August, 2022.

The opposition parties also displayed extracts of the National Voters register, which it claimed were part of at least 10 million fake registrations done by one of the political parties.

They alleged that the names were sourced from both within and outside Nigeria, including some African countries such as Ghana, Cameroon, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Togo, Guinea, Gambia and countries outside Africa.

The parties further alleged that Yakubu was under pressure for the commission to announce a change to its hard stance on the compulsory use of the BVAS machine for accreditation or get sacked as Chairman of the Commission.

“The intelligence CUPP intercepted, which has led to the discovery of the suit filed seeking to nullify the BVAS and exposure of the massive compromise in the voters register cannot now be wrong that the third leg of the plot is to sack the National Chairman through a suspension as the plotters know they cannot get the required numbers from the National Assembly for an outright sack.

“We call on international partners, local and international observer groups, civil society and the general public to help it and protect democracy as the success of any of these plots will erode the integrity and credibility of the electoral process and deny Nigerians the sovereign right to freely choose their leaders,” CUPP said.