The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has issued a warning to political parties, cautioning them against the spread of fake news in the run-up to the November 11 governorship elections in Bayelsa, Kogi, and Imo states.
The Chief Press Secretary to the INEC chairman, Rotimi Oyekanmi, conveyed this message in a statement released in Abuja. The warning came in response to a statement made by the Social Democratic Party (SDP), alleging that INEC was configuring the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) machines at the Government House in Lokoja to manipulate the Kogi governorship election.
INEC vehemently refuted the claims, asserting that the allegations were unfounded and untrue. The commission clarified that the three individuals mentioned in the SDP’s statement had no involvement in the configuration of BVAS machines and were not even present in Kogi at the time of the allegations.
Nicholas Ocholi was reported to be stationed in the INEC office in Ondo State in Akure, while Ibrahim Egbunu was in Abuja attending to a family member receiving medical treatment. Mohammed Adara, who was mentioned in the SDP’s statement, had retired from the commission the previous year and was no longer an INEC staff member.
Oyekanmi emphasized that the BVAS machines’ configuration was carried out simultaneously and exclusively within INEC offices in Bayelsa, Imo, and Kogi by teams dispatched from the commission’s national headquarters in Abuja.
The INEC urged the public to dismiss the allegations as fake news and called on political parties to refrain from engaging in malicious rumor-mongering of this nature.
The warning from INEC underscores the need for responsible and accurate reporting during the election season to maintain the integrity of the democratic process.
Note: This news report is based on the provided information and does not include any further developments beyond the INEC’s response to the SDP’s allegations.