wp-latest-posts domain was triggered too early. This is usually an indicator for some code in the plugin or theme running too early. Translations should be loaded at the init action or later. Please see Debugging in WordPress for more information. (This message was added in version 6.7.0.) in /home2/interso8/public_html/wp-includes/functions.php on line 6114premium-addons-for-elementor domain was triggered too early. This is usually an indicator for some code in the plugin or theme running too early. Translations should be loaded at the init action or later. Please see Debugging in WordPress for more information. (This message was added in version 6.7.0.) in /home2/interso8/public_html/wp-includes/functions.php on line 6114ultimate-addons-for-gutenberg domain was triggered too early. This is usually an indicator for some code in the plugin or theme running too early. Translations should be loaded at the init action or later. Please see Debugging in WordPress for more information. (This message was added in version 6.7.0.) in /home2/interso8/public_html/wp-includes/functions.php on line 6114Public Interest Letter Of Extreme Urgency And Importance <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Address:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
41, Miss Elems Street, Onitsha<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Anambra State, Nigeria<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Monday, Sept 25, 2023<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Prof Mahmood Yakubu<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Chairman, Independent National Electoral Commission<\/p>\n\n\n\n
INEC\u2019s Headquarters, Plot 436, Zambezi Crescent<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Maitama District, FCT, Abuja, Nigeria<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Email: iccc@inec.gov.ng<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Dear INEC Chairman,<\/p>\n\n\n\n Time Is Now For The Independent National Electoral Commission Under Prof Yakubu To Comprehensively Address Its In-House Challenges Threatening Impartiality And Credibility Of The Nov 11, 2023 Governorship Election In Imo State And Clear The Mess Highlighted Below<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe reason why the bulk of Electoral Officers and HODs posted to Imo are from Enugu and Ebonyi is because the Resident Electoral Officers (RECs) of Enugu and Ebonyi States were presented for nomination by Gov. Hope Uzodinma, who is a candidate in the November, 2023 Imo State governorship election. Mrs. Ugochi, the REC for Ebonyi State was Governor Hope Uzodinma\u2019s ally who assumed the position after he appointed her as Imo State Electoral Commissioner (IMSEC).<\/p>\n\n\n\n Dr. Chukwuemeka Chukwu, the Enugu State REC, is a candidate presented by Hope Uzodinma via his political ally Nkeiru Onyejiocha. The first election assignment of Dr. Chukwuemeka Chukwu was the House of Representatives By-election in Ngo-Okpalla, Imo State. During that election, Dr. Chukwuemeka was made to overrule Prof. Ezeonu, then Imo REC, whose report recommended that the election be cancelled. Both REC\u2019s in Ebonyi and Enugu have recruited Electoral Officers that will serve in Imo State for the benefit of Gov. Hope Uzodinma and not those that will conduct a free and fair election.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAt the centre of the last Governorship Election complications in Enugu is Nkanu East results where over-voting was identified via falsification of PU results. The EO who was identified as the facilitator, Mrs. Gloria Ogbuchi has now been transferred to Imo State for a job well done and as compensation for her bravery in impunity. The message with that transfer is \u201cGo and do the same in Imo\u201d. Meanwhile the post-election court matter in Enugu is not over. Some EOs who were fingered in the Enugu election controversy have also been transferred to Imo ahead of the State\u2019s Nov 11, 2023 Governorship Election.\u201d End of the extracted information.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The strong allegations above have not only portrayed INEC as an appendage or branch of the APC in Imo and Nigeria but also threatened the impartiality and integrity of the Commission as a statutory independent body. Such allegations are also undermining the credibility of the Nov 11, 2023 Governorship Election in the State and if not thoroughly investigated and the mess generated cleared early enough, the Nov 11, 2023 Governorship Election in Imo State is most likely to be a rubber-stamp exercise for the APC and its incumbent Governor and Government of Imo State. Intersociety <\/strong>is strongly calling on the Independent National Electoral Commission under Your Chairmanship to redress all the anomalies above highlighted so as to restore the neutrality, impartiality and confidence trust built around the Commission and its top management staffs by the trio of the 1999 Constitution of the Nigeria as amended, the INEC Establishment Act of 2004 and the Electoral Act of 2022 as amended.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As it was the case in the 2023 National\/State Assembly Elections in Imo State, the incumbent Government of the State and some compromised senior and junior staffs of Your Commission were strongly accused of harvesting \u2018magic election results\u2019 from most of the polling centers located in Local Government Areas\/Communities where the Commission declared unsafe and insecure for voting. As it was also strongly alleged, some corrupt and compromised INEC officials escorted by some criminal security agents drawn from police crack squads and military personnel and armed thugs and militias operating under their cover and protection had headed to some designated arenas under the influence of some top political appointees in the present Government of Imo State with result sheets where they were filled with fake results and indented as \u201cplaces where voting had taken place and results produced\u201d. Such sharp practices were alleged to have taken place in places like Okigwe, Orsu, Oru East, Oru West, Ihube, Aku, Ihitenansa, Orlu, etc. The above must totally be checkmated and avoided in the Nov 11, 2023 Governorship Poll. Those places where voting will not be held in Imo State on Nov 11, 2023 must be widely published, publicized and totally isolated and any results generated thereto must be rejected and expunged from the final results of the Election and the EOs\/ROs responsible sacked and arraigned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n INEC under Your Chairmanship must strictly stick on \u201cno result sheets, no voting\u201d in the Nov 11, 2023 Imo Governorship Election. The result sheets such as \u2018FormEC8As must be provided in all the places the election are to take place and withheld in all others marked unsafe and insecure for voting across the State. INEC must physically transmit all the results and have them duly entered in their respective result sheets. All the parties and their agents and lawful others from polling units, ward, local government, district and State collation centers must be duly issued their signed legitimate copies such as \u2018FormEC8As\u2019. The Commission under Your Chairmanship must also find a way to prevent crooked politicians or political actors in Imo State from doctoring or faking or \u2018de-customizing\u2019 the original result sheets and other sensitive electoral materials.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As it was the case in the 2023 National\/State Assembly Elections in Imo during which ward and local government result collation centers were strongly alleged to have been relocated to the Local Government chairmen\u2019s offices and other arenas under the violent grip of the present Government of Imo State, its political appointees and associates; the location of the above mentioned result collation centers for the Nov 11, 2023 Governorship Election in Imo State must be cited by the Commission in public schools or other public places outside the grip, control and dictation of the political appointees and \u201celected officials\u201d of the Government of Imo State and \u201celected\u201d or appointed federal officials from the State. Such result collation centers for the Nov 11 Governorship Election must be accessible to all the parties and their designated representatives or agents and place in the hands of neutral and impartial security agents and their commanders. Armed thugs and militias must not be allowed access into such result collation centers. The delegated INEC officials must be made to insist on carrying out their assignments in the presence of all the parties\/candidates and their agents and delegated or authorized security agents and agencies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Voters in Imo State and the general public have remained in the dark over the guidelines to be used in the Nov 11, 2023 Governorship Election. This is more so when the Election is only about 45 days away or a month and half. For instance, the Imo voters and the general public have been kept in the dark with regard to the number of eligible voters or those with PVCs and those without PVCs. Information about the number of polling units for the Election and the number of them where voting will take place or will not take place have been shrouded in secrecy. Also going by the recent undemocratic judgment of the Court of Appeal (PEPC), there is mandatory need for INEC under Your Chairmanship to come out now with fresh general guidelines on distribution of voting materials mandatorily inclusive of the result sheets. Such fresh guidelines must also include methods and time for voter accreditation, voting and collation and transmission of results; and their announcements at polling units and the local government and State declarations by their respective Returning Officers (ROs). <\/p>\n\n\n\n The \u201cstrong allegation page\u201d attached to this letter, numbering \u201c8 a-f\u201d, \u201c9 a-b\u201d, \u201c10 a-d\u201d and \u201c11\u201d must be holistically looked into by INEC under Your Chairmanship and all the politically motivated and ill-conceived staff postings and transfers reversed with uttermost immediacy. Such ill-fated postings and transfers when reversed must be replaced with credible and non-partisan senior INEC officials to man all the departments and positions mentioned. Such re-postings and re-transfers must sweep off Imo REC, Prof Sylvia Agu and eight heads of Imo\u2019s INEC key departments; namely: Emmanuella Okpara (HOD-Voter Education), Mr. Raymond (HOD-ICT), Chinonye Osuji (Public Relations Officer), Dr. Fidelis Uguru (Acting Administrative Secretary), Agnes Elokpo (ICT Department), Okorie Esther (Acting HOD-Operations), Barrister Sunday Nwaigboko (HOD Legal) and Mrs. Gloria Ogbuechi (INEC EO for Nkanu East in the 2023 Governorship Election in Enugu State, now posted to Imo State). Others that must be transferred urgently are the following eleven Local Government Electoral Officers (EOs): Emeka Okike Ukpa (Owerri West), Omeje Peter Ikebuchukwu (Nwerre), Nwabisi Theresa (Mbaitoli), Nnebue Adolph (Ezinihitte-Mbaise), Nnonyelum Benjamin (Ngokpala), Okorie Franklyn (Isiala-Mbano), Uzor Chikwendu (Okigwe), Nwachukwu Anyalewechi (Onuimo), Chukwuemeka Blessing (Orlu), Okafor Obiorah (Orsu), Uzoka Emmanuel (Oru East). It is our firm ground that \u201c200,000 living votes are greater than 2m dead votes\u201d in Imo.. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Signed:<\/p>\n\n\n\n For: International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law<\/p>\n\n\n\n Emeka Umeagbalasi, Board Chairman<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n (B.Sc. Criminology and Security Studies, M.Sc. Peace Studies and Conflict Resolution)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Chinwe Umeche Esquire (LL.B, BL)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Head, Democracy and Good Governance<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Obianuju Joy Igboeli Esquire (LL.B, BL)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Head, Civil Liberties and Rule of Law<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Chidinma Evangeline Udegbunam Esquire (LL.B, BL)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Head, Campaign and Publicity<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Contacts: <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Email: <\/strong>info@intersociety-ng.org<\/strong><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
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