JOINT WORLD PRESS CONFERENCE BY CHAIRMEN OF NIGERIA POLITICAL PARTIES, POLITICAL LEADERS, AND HEADS OF POLITICAL ASSOCIATIONS (REGISTERED AND DEREGISTERED), OPPOSITION COALITION (CUPP) COALITION OF UNITED POLITICAL PARTIES AND THE CIVIL SOCIETY ON IMMINENT THREATS TO THE 2023 GENERAL ELECTION AND DEMAND FOR CREDIBLE, ACCEPTABLE FREE AND FAIR 2023 ELECTION THROUGH THE USE OF THE BVAS MACHINE AND MAINTAINING THE INDEPENDENCE OF INEC.
THERE IS A NEW ALLEGED PLOT TO STOP THE ELECTRONIC TRANSMISSION OF RESULTS, DEACTIVATE THE BIVAS FROM THE INEC SERVER, AND FORCE OUT INEC TOP OFFICIALS, INCLUDING THE CHAIRMAN.
PROTOCOLS
Let me start by welcoming the media community, members and non-members of the opposition coalition, our friends in the Civil Societies, distinguished Chairmen and representatives of Political parties, heads of different political associations here, etc.
Thank you all here for coming, and thank you all who are watching us live as we are being transmitted live by AIT, Arise TV, and numerous streaming platforms.
To save time, permit us to go straight to the point.
The Chairmen of Nigeria Political Parties, Opposition Coalition CUPP, and Heads of Political associations have intercepted intelligence of an alleged fresh plot against the 2023 election and this time being coordinated by leading figures of the ruling APC Party, APC Governors led by a South East APC Governor with controversial past and another from the North West who are working with their colleagues to perfect a plot to intimidate INEC leadership into abandoning the use of electronic transmission and uploading of election results to the INEC server, deactivation of the BIVAS machine from INEC server and the creation of crisis of confidence based on trumped up charges that will lead to the removal of top officials of the Commission including the INEC Chairman Prof Mahmood and other National Commissioners who are insisting on the use of the BIVAS for the 2023 election and the irreversible use of electronic transmission of the result.
This latest intelligence and shocking information involve the use of security agencies, the APC-controlled Senate, and the court to cause a leadership crisis and change that will see to the removal of the Commission’s top leadership led by Prof Mahmud Yakubu and the appointment of a pushover and compromised acting Chairman who will ruin the credibility of the 2023 election by deactivating the BVAS machine from INEC server, stop the use of electronic transmission of result and also ensure that the Commission’sCommission’s Resident Electoral Commissioners nominated by APC Governors are quickly approved and deployed to States where they will be of assistance to the ruling party at the expense of credible, free and fair elections.
We, the Chairmen and leaders of different political parties here (AA, LABOUR, PDP, ADC, APP ETC), candidates of different parties, CSOS, and leaders of Opposition Coalition CUPP categorically state that any plan to destabilize INEC and force the top officials of the Commission including the INEC Chairman out of office, whether with trumped-up charges, manipulated security report, instigated or coordinated parliamentary investigation, a hurriedly obtained injunction from the court, a Code of Conduct Bureau inquiry or an arrest and hurried arraignment will not be accepted. We repeat, these will not be accepted by Nigerian political parties, party leaders, civil societies, and the generality of Nigerians.
Any further actions in this direction will be playing with fire and a direct affront and challenge to Nigerian voters and the entire political parties, and it will be resisted vehemently.
Read the mind, eyes, soul, and heart and hear the voice of the opposition. It will not augur well for anyone who continues with this alleged evil plot.
We have been tipped off by our intelligence both inside APC and the camp of the Governors in the conspiracy, and we can state that the opposition is in receipt of information that the INEC leadership, especially senior officials, are being put under immense pressure to abandon the use of the BVAS machine, result transmission and in particular to deactivate the BIVAS from the server, an alleged dangerous request which if ever granted under any circumstances can throw Nigeria into pre and post-election crisis and will be unacceptable to Nigerian voters, especially the youths who have renewed confidence in the electoral process.
We are also informed that there is a plot to cause a leadership change in the Commission’s top hierarchy and cause a sweeping change with less than 140 days to the elections. The alleged plan to remove Prof. Mahmud Yakubu and top officials of INEC is a no-go area. The political parties in the county will not accept it. This alleged plot has been coordinated by some APC chieftains and Governors led by a controversial South East APC Governor. If this plot is not crushed, it can discredit our election and throw Nigeria into crisis. Our institution can’t be destroyed for one man’s quest or a group of people to keep what was hijacked from the people.
NIGERIA POLITICAL PARTIES CHAIRMEN, LEADERS, CHIEFTAINS OF OPPOSITION CUPP, AA, LABOUR PDP, APP, ADC ETC, WILL NOT ACCEPT, AND WE REPEAT, ACCEPT ANY PLAN TO STOP THE ELECTRONIC TRANSMISSION OF RESULTS, USE OF BIVAS. WE WILL NOT ACCEPT OR AGREE FOR ANY ELECTION TO BE CONDUCTED WITHOUT ELECTRONIC TRANSMISSION OF RESULTS, WE WILL RESIST ANY PERSON OR PLOT TO DEACTIVATE THE BIVAS FROM THE INEC SERVER, WE WILL RESIST ANY HURRIEDLY OR ARRANGED PLOT TO FORCE, BLACKMAIL, USE TRUMP UP CHARGES, COOKED UP SECURITY REPORT OR ANY METHOD TO FORCE THE INEC CHAIRMAN OR ANY OF HIS COMMISSIONERS OUT OF OFFICE. KNOW IT TODAY, OPPOSITION AND POLITICAL PARTY LEADERS AND NIGERIAN VOTERS ARE AWARE, READY, AND UNITED TO DEFEND THE ELECTORAL PROCESS.
REPEAT WITH US, NO BIVAS – NO ELECTION, NO SERVER – NO ELECTION, NO ELECTRONIC RESULT TRANSMISSION – NO ELECTION, ANY DESTABILISATION OR ILLEGAL MOVE TO FORCE COMMISSION TOP OFFICIALS, INCLUDING INEC CHAIR – NO ELECTION. THOSE WHO THINK THAT THEY CAN MANIPULATE INSTITUTIONS OF STATE, BOTH JUDICIAL AND OTHERS, TO SNEAK INTO POWER SHOULD KNOW THAT 2023 IS THE PEOPLE’S TURN, AND WE WILL DEFEND IT WITH ALL OUR HEARTS.
Any attempt to reenact the Onnoghen formula by a few desperate APC Leaders and Governors who know that they, as well as their sponsored candidates, are now unelectable will not work. The plan to destroy the only ray of hope for our election represented by the electronic devices that will also transmit results electronically, especially BIVAS will be resisted.
Knowing that the conspiracy against our electoral system started with the audacious compromise of the continuous voters’ registration exercise code-named Omuma magic, we applaud INEC for accepting there were issues and moving on to continue the cleaning up of the fake registrations which was of high magnitude and would have ruined the 2023 election.
The nightmare caused by the shocking uncovering of the Omuma magic, which saw foreigners, male pictures with female gender, female gender with male pic, burial pictures, and children faces with age above that of late queen Elizabeth will continue to keep Nigerians in shock for years to come.
We are not happy that those behind this audacious criminal operation have not been arrested, sacked, and prosecuted and have still been kept for likely more damage to our 2023 election.
We, therefore, call for the investigation, arrest, and trial of those who are involved in the compromise of voters’ registration called Omuma Magic and for INEC to make its internal report public and redeploy the staff responsible as a way to rebuild confidence.
We also call on President Muhammadu Buhari, if he is serious about his speech at the United Nations to ensure the 2023 election is free and credible, to keep watch on his APC Governors and some institutional heads whose alleged desperation can thwart the current electoral reform efforts and place him in a bad record. Security agencies must be neutral as 2023 is a decisive election that, if well conducted, can make Nigeria and, if not well conducted, can mar Nigeria as young Nigerians are apprehensive and ready to stand firm for a credible election.
The offensive attack on INEC staff to intimidate them into silence, submission, and allegiance pledge to APC have been launched. The political parties wish to alert the public and inform the President and heads of security agencies, assuming they are not aware and not part of it, and the Nigerian people and international community of the ongoing institutional intimidation and arrest of INEC staff at different states to intimidate them, especially Imo State where over 5 INEC staff have been taken by security operatives from the Imo DSS and without access to lawyers, doctors or families and are kept in no access confinement on the alleged, suspected influence of the State Govt who wants to intimidate them into silence to help cover the Omuma Magic compromise of the voters’ register. Nigerians, can we have a free and fair election when staff of an independent electoral body are taken away and kept in detention without access to their families, lawyers, and communication with their employer. If the intelligence that we have that innocent staff are being taken away in a bid to find out how Nigerians got to know that voter registration was compromised instead of going after those who released their password and criminally aided the fake registrations, then we boldly say Nigeria is in trouble, and 2023 is in danger. Fake registrations and manipulation of registrations are criminal offenses punishable under the electoral act with imprisonment, so coverage of such offenses is a state crime for which any officer of govt involved should be arrested for undermining the Republic. The non-arrest of the culprits and pursuit of the source of the leak that exposed the shocking Omuma magic is provocative, insulting, and an attempt to desecrate the institution of govt.
The painful cases of Felix Agu, Chidiebere Muo, and numerous other INEC staff taken by Imo DSS in Owerri to help silence the independence of the Commission must be mentioned, and the attention of the President, Muhammad Buhari and DG DSS brought to the situation that likes of Chidiebere Muo and others whose pictures I am now displaying are still in DSS cell. Our DG, take your telephone, call Owerri and find out. The integrity of the election starts with the independence of the Commission. Confidence building is important, and not only must our election be free and fair but seen to be so, and unless ongoing acts, if not stopped, can cause confidence problems that can lead to post-election disagreements.
This is to alert Nigerians that the Nigerian police, DSS, and other security agencies have not arrested those who helped to manipulate the voters’ register and released their BIVAS password with which fake registrations and the upload were made into the voters’ register, which was aimed at rigging 2023 election, rather staff are being taken to force them into silence and to find if any of them leaked the information of the criminality instead of finding and arresting the criminals. As parties, we say that arrest and public shaming of the perpetrators and their collaborators who perpetrated the voter registration fraud is non-negotiable. No matter the atmosphere, no matter who is involved, as leaders of the country’s political process and platforms, we have an equal stake and can’t be intimidated into silence. We will continue to act within the ambit of the law, but we are not going to run away or surrender to those who want to destroy what they did not build and what does not belong to them. We are ready for the election and will keep vigilance and not allow our electoral process to be derailed. We also wish to urge an end to continued arrest and denial of rights to those with opposing views to help lead us to a stable election as Nigeria belongs to us all, and even with chains on our legs, we, as opposition leaders, shall continue to fight for a better society.
Gentlemen, in view of the repeated and many failed attempts to either compromise the voters’ register Omuma Magic, arrest of INEC staff, filing of suits against electronic transmission of results, secret suits to remove INEC Chairman, trump up cases on his assets forms which the court has cleared him, and this latest fresh intelligence, we as major players in the country’s electoral process as political parties have unanimously agreed that we are proceeding to the court to seek judicial approval to restrain these alleged midnight enemies of democracy operating in the dark from causing the deactivation of the BIVAS from the server, the stoppage of use of BIVAS, the use of any method whether cooked up report, parliamentary resolution or instigated investigation, fabricated media propaganda or character blackmail, arrest on trumped up criminal allegations, investigation or charges in attempting to stop the leadership of INEC from carrying out their duties.
We are also storming the USA, UK, and other foreign embassies where we are going to submit petitions and alert them of the alleged new conspiracy which threatens the Nigerian electoral process and electoral stability. We will urge them to keep vigilant eyes on the process as development partners and ensure there is adequate vigilance and support plus pressure to ensure the right things are done in compliance with extant laws.
In conclusion, the Political parties and Opposition parties are saying that the continued stability of the INEC leadership, the electronic transmission of results, the use of BIVAS, the continued functioning of the INEC server, the stoppage of detention of INEC staff and immediate release, the non-harassment of opposition candidates, leaders and chairmen with trump up charges, arrest, etc. are non-negotiable and mandatory conditions for a free, fair and credible 2023 election.
God bless us all
2: LABOUR PARTY
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN,
The 2023 general election is a watershed election for Nigeria, and we must not take it for granted. Nigeria is on the brink of collapse, and we must all join hands as citizens, opposition, and civil societies to make sure we save our country.
The use of the BIVAS machine has greatly improved the outcome of elections in Nigeria, and the Labour Party can boldly say it is this confidence that Nigerians have in the system that has caused the renewed vigor which we have seen in the recent past in young people in Nigeria coming out to register and deciding to generally participate in the electoral process.
That hope in Nigeria must not be allowed to wane because of the activities of a few individuals who are in power today. Power is transient, power comes from God Almighty, and nobody should attempt to hold onto power by all means, even without the mandate of the people.
We, therefore, call on all Nigerians and particularly all Obidients and our brothers in other Opposition parties to be vigilant.
Nigerians have resolved that the 2023 election will be peaceful, credible, free, and fair. For that to happen, Labour Party will insist on the use of BVAS for accreditation and electronic transmission of results from the Polling Units. Any plan to conduct any election without electronic accreditation or any plan to deactivate the Bevas from the INEC server will be resisted and confronted by Nigerian people as an assault on our democracy. The votes must not only count but be seen to have been counted.
High Chief Peter Ameh
Labour Party
3: COUNCIL OF ETHNIC YOUTH LEADERS OF NIGERIA
We welcome you all, Ladies and gentlemen,
The Council of Ethnic youth Leaders has, in the recent past, been at the vanguard of efforts aimed at promoting peaceful coexistence in Nigeria. We have members from across Party lines, religions, and ethnicities.
Many of our members won tickets in various political parties to contest elections. We still relate in brotherhood despite these clear differences. We are resolved as leaders in our various areas to ensure that any threat to the 2023 election is nipped in the bud.
It is against that background that we vehemently oppose and will continue to stand against this alleged evil plot to deactivate the BIVAS from the INEC server so as to take us back to the dark days of election rigging. INEC has said it will use only the BIVAS, and we shall support them to do so.
Any attack on the BIVAS is an attack on the 2023 general election, and the plotters should be put on notice that such an attack is capable of erupting to undesirable consequences.
Young people in Nigeria have faith in this electoral process. The reason is that they believe the BIVAS will make their votes count.
INEC must use the BIVAS! We call on the international community to hear us loud and clear. We also call on all institutions of the state, particularly the security agencies, to rise up to the occasion and ensure that no person is allowed to derail Nigeria’s democratic journey.
We also call on President Buhari to order the Police and the DSS to ensure that those who aided the forgery of the voters register tagged Omuma Magic are arrested and prosecuted and to also order an investigation to ascertain the governors who are part of this alleged plan to destabilize INEC, cause leadership change and undermine the use of BIVAS and INEC SERVER in this election. We want the President to also look into the alleged role of APC governors, especially the Imo APC Governor Hope Uzodinma, in this new alleged plot to destabilize INEC, undermine the credibility of the election, stop the use of BVAS device and remove some INEC National officers including the INEC Chairman from office. This will help to restore confidence and credibility.
Nigeria is our only country, and we must do all within our might to protect it.
Arewa Consultative Youth Movement
Middle Belt Youths Forum
Ohanaeze Ndigbo Youths Movement
Oduduwa Youths Assembly
Council of Ethnic Youth leaders of Nigeria
4: PEOPLES DEMOCRATIC PARTY
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN,
The Peoples Democratic Party was a custodian of this nation for 16 years, and the journey to free and fair elections has been midwifed by the PDP.
We lost the election in 2015 because we wanted a free and fair process, and we cannot stand by and watch any person or group of persons truncate our democracy due to their desperation to cling to power.
The PDP introduced Electronic Voting processes through the use of the Card Reader. Today there is the BIVAS. We insist and support the INEC all the way on its insistence to use only the BIVAS for accreditation as well as for transmission of results directly from the Polling Units.
We shall stand against any plot to unlawfully remove the INEC Federal Commissioners, including the Chairman, or a withdrawal of the use of the BIVAS under any guise. We shall do everything within our control to ensure that the election is free, fair, credible, peaceful, and acceptable.
We invite all Nigerians to be on the lookout and say NO to any attempt to cook any story with which any person wants to cause a change in INEC. In 2019, we slipped, and they removed the Chief Justice of Nigeria. We shall never allow them to get away with such attempts again.
Thank you!
