2027: Group alleges midnight voter accreditation in Ideato, front-loading of BVAS devices

A political watchdog in Ideato North Local Government Area of Imo State, the Ideato Progressive Alliance, IPA, has raised an alarm over a disturbing incident where an alleged voting exercise has commenced in some communities in the LGA, demanding immediate investigation by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.

The Alliance alleged that individuals suspected to be personnel of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, moved around communities in the area, including Urualla, late Wednesday, conducting an unauthorised and illegal voter accreditation exercise.

It explained that credible information it received showed that residents were summoned with their Permanent Voter Cards, PVCs, given ₦5,000 each, had their voter details copied, and were subsequently instructed to thumbprint an electronic device identified by eyewitnesses as a BVAS device.

A statement sent to our correspondent by the President of IPA, Ferdinand Nwosu, alleged that the operation involved four vehicles.

“We have obtained video recordings of the incident and are releasing them to the public as evidence requiring urgent investigation," the group insisted

“IPA considers this development extremely dangerous and an affront to the integrity of the electoral process in Ideato. No political officeholder, candidate, political party or private individual has the authority to organise an independent voter accreditation exercise using BVAS or any other INEC electoral equipment outside the Commission's officially authorised procedures.

“The circumstances surrounding this operation, particularly the distribution of money, collection of voter information and biometric capture under questionable conditions, raise grave questions about the purpose of the exercise and the authority under which it operated. These are not issues that INEC or the security agencies can afford to ignore. The conduct constitutes a serious breach of electoral laws and undermines public confidence in the 2027 elections.”

The IPA said it was more concerned about the motive of the exercise, noting it was designed to generate unauthorised accreditation records and compromise the integrity of BVAS data ahead of the January 16, 2027 elections.

It said the issues raised were serious concerns that INEC must subject to independent forensic scrutiny without any further delay, demanding that the identity of the persons involved be made known to the public immediately.

“IPA is particularly concerned that information harvested from unsuspecting voters has already been exploited to manipulate accreditation figures, create discrepancies between prospective actual voter turnout and the electronic records, and provide grounds for subsequent electoral disputes. We are also concerned about unauthorised access to and compromise of BVAS devices intended for deployment in Ideato.”

“We therefore demand that INEC immediately establish the identity of the persons involved, disclose whether any official authorisation was issued for the operation, and open all BVAS devices scheduled for deployment in Ideato to an independent forensic audit. The audit must guarantee that no compromised device or manipulated accreditation record will be deployed in our constituency.

“IPA calls on the Chairman of INEC, Prof. Joash Ojo Amupitan, to order an immediate and transparent investigation into this incident and examine the conduct of any National Commissioner or other official whose involvement or complicity may be established.

“We further demand that the Nigeria Police Force, the Department of State Services and other relevant security agencies identify and investigate all persons connected with the operation, trace the four vehicles involved, preserve the video evidence and bring anyone found culpable to justice. INEC must also provide a public explanation of the circumstances surrounding the alleged use of BVAS in these communities. The Commission cannot allow its equipment, personnel or institutional authority to be used for activities that compromise electoral credibility.”

IPA tasked Ideato people to remain vigilant, protect their PVCs and report every suspicious electoral activity to the appropriate authorities, and urged residents not to surrender their voter information or submit themselves to any accreditation exercise outside officially announced INEC procedures.

“We shall continue to document and expose every development that threatens the sanctity of our votes. The 2027 election must be decided by the freely expressed will of the Ideato people, not by questionable midnight operations, manipulated BVAS records or any attempt to predetermine the outcome before election day,” IPA asserted.

2027: Group alleges midnight voter accreditation in Ideato, front-loading of BVAS devices