Vix Politics, led by former Education Minister Obi Ezekwesili, on Friday ousted the Independent National Electoral Commission, over the dual-status voter accreditation system, BVAS.
The organization accused the Independent Electoral Commission (INEC) of breaching the trust of Nigerians by failing to upload the results of the general elections held on February 25, 2023 on its portal in real time.
A statement by the executive director, Tony Obany, noted the various assurances made by the commission that they were election-ready with the deployment of BVAS.
Obani referred to the press conference held in November 2022 where the head of the Independent Electoral Commission, Professor Mahmoud Yaqobu, confirmed that the commission would upload the results of the poll immediately after the vote.
The controversy over the results meant that the electoral reforms and lessons he declared had been learned were not applied and were less prepared, he declared.
Yakubu stated that since the commission introduced BVAS, it would not turn around and undermine itself, saying “we’ll be uploading the results from the polling units”.
FixPolitics noted the built trust promised among the millions of citizens who took the time to register and collect permanent voter cards.
Obani said the public accepted the added burden of closing higher education institutions as part of the sacrifice of reciprocity.
The activist also highlighted the fact that many returned from abroad to practice their nationality in the hope that the process would be transparent, free and fair.
The failure of the Independent Electoral Commission and widespread delays in opening polling units frustrated voters. He said many voters and IEC staff were unable to locate their polling units for several hours.
The statement added that the “betrayal of trust” made the public resent the Independent Electoral Commission and question the integrity of the ballot and its impact on the entire process.
BVAS: INEC Breach of Trust of Nigerians – FixPolitics Led by Ezekwesili
