Close Down INEC Nasarawa, Maku Urges FG Over Alleged Electoral Fraud
By Roseline Okafor, Lafia
The Labour Party candidate in the just-concluded Nasarawa North Senatorial bye-election, Labaran Maku, has called on the Federal Government to shut down the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) office in Nasarawa State over alleged electoral malpractice.
Maku made the call during a press conference held at his residence in Akpata, Akun Development Area, on Sunday, while reacting to INEC’s declaration of the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate as the winner of the election.
The former Minister of Information alleged that the INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner and other officials colluded with the Nasarawa State Government to manipulate the electoral process.
According to him, the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) machines were deliberately programmed to malfunction, forcing the conduct of manual voting in several polling units.
“INEC deliberately programmed the BVAS machines to malfunction so the election could be conducted manually. The persistent BVAS failures allowed them to inflate vote figures in favour of the APC and PDP because they are working together,” Maku alleged.
He cited wards such as Umme, Igah, Burumburum, and Alushi Waku in Nasarawa Eggon Local Government Area, claiming that no voting took place in those areas, yet substantial votes were allegedly allocated to the APC.
“In fact, what INEC did is a national embarrassment. I am urging the Federal Government to shut down the INEC office in Nasarawa State and conduct a thorough investigation because they have compromised with the government to rig elections in the state. This has been happening for a long time,” he said.
Maku appealed to his supporters to remain calm and await further directives from the Labour Party leadership.
He described the bye-election as worse than previous polls and expressed appreciation to those who supported his ambition financially and politically.
He specifically thanked the member representing Karu/Keffi/Kokona Federal Constituency, Jonathan Gaza, the Labour Party governorship candidate, Silas Agara, and former Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, for collapsing their political structures in support of his campaign.
Collation agents of the Labour Party in Akwanga, Nasarawa Eggon, and Wamba Local Government Areas also alleged widespread irregularities during the election.
They claimed that repeated BVAS failures forced electoral officials to resort to manual voting.
According to the agents, their objections were ignored by returning officers.
“How can INEC act against its own rules? They brought out the election guidelines but still violated them,” one of the agents said.
Also present at the press conference was the Labour Party Campaign Council, led by former Nasarawa State PDP Chairman, Adamu Ninga.
The council also condemned what it described as INEC’s poor handling of the bye-election.
