Election Tribunal: INEC Under Pressure To Alter Voters Register – Petitioner

The Ernest Ndukwe Campaign Organization has raised the alarm over alleged pressure on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Anambra State to alter the voters register used in the recent elections to reflect figures the commission declared in the election. The alarm was raised by Director-General of the campaign organization, Mr. Chris Mcool Nwosu. While addressing newsmen shortly after the inaugural sitting of the state National and State Assembly' Elections Petition Tribunal, he stated his camp had it on good authority that serious pressure was being mounted on INEC to alter the register, “to reflect the variously cooked up figures contnined in some of the EC8Bs.” He alleged that same pressure had been on the commission to deny the Certified True Copies (CTCs) it issued to some petitioners, which have the potentials to expose the alleged rigging in the election, and urged the people of the state to be vigilant. His words: “This is to alert the people to also be very vigilant because there are strong rumours that pressure is being brought on INEC to deny earlier CTCs it issued to some petitioners. We are also aware that INEC is under pressure to alter the voters register to reflect the variously cooked up figures contained in some of the EC8Bs. “But our position is that this attempt will be futile, futile in the sense that there cannot be EC8B without an EC8A, and as it is presently, I can speak for my camp, both the forms EC8As given to us by our polling agents, who got them from INEC agents at the polling units and CTCs of EC8As issued to us by INEC so far, confirms that Dr. Ernest Ndukwe convincingly won the election and I understand it is so in a number of other cases. So, I do not believe that INEC will fall prey to any pressure to alter the books on post-election because that will be really, really embarrassing and can be unearthed in court.” Nwosu assured the people of Anambra South Senatorial District that Dr. Ndukwe was not relenting in his effort to ensure that the mandate availed to him by them was retrieved from those who he stated were trying to hijack it. While expressing implicit confidence in the Tribunal giving the way the chairman spoke at the inaugural sitting, Nwosu stated the people of the state were looking forward to the Tribunal marching words with actions and urged the panel to be aware of the complicity of the state. He said, “Second is to remind the Tribunal that Anambra State is a complicated state where all sorts of pressure will be brought to bear by those who have hijacked the mandate given to others by the people, to try to influence their judgments. And in reminding them of that, I will like to be very specific in recalling the matters involving Justice Opene and Adeniji who were two of the three Judges that sat over Nicholas Ukachukwu and Ugochukwu Uba in 2003 at the Appellant level. As you will recall, that matter led to the dismissal of these Judges and only Justices Akaahs who delivered the right judgment survived it and he is today Justice of the Supreme Court of Nigeria. “The other thing is that I suspect that given the volume of cases that this Tribunal will have to deal with, there may be cause to have a second and even a third Tribunal. We are wary of a situation where the judiciary will allow time to elapse, perhaps two months into our time; they will now set up one or two more panels. “We are saying why not set the panels immediately so the people will get justice and those who are hoping to leverage on the 180-day window will find that no such situation will be tolerated.”