Over 50 VCs, others allegedly implicated in rigging 2023 polls

DAILY INDEPENDENT

 The 2023 general elections may have been conducted but the dust it kicked up is yet to settle with many Nigerians, local and international observers describing it as “shambolic elections” due to the poor conduct of the exercise by the electoral umpire, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). While the widespread violence that beclouded the elections is yet to settle, some of the academics who officiated in the elections now carry credibility baggage as they are accused of aiding rigging. ROLAND OGBONNAYA, APATA OYENIRAN, JOSEPH UNDU, ATABOR JULIUS, UCHE NWOSU, RAJI ADEBAYO, PATIENCE OGBODO-IWUAGWU, TITILOPE JOSEPH

As the country tries to settle down for business after the chaotic elections, coupled with CBN’s poor implemen­tation of the cashless policy, there are several agitations and pockets of pro­tests across the nation, including the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) for the prosecution of electoral offenders and visa ban on the Independent Na­tional Electoral Commission (INEC) Chairman, Prof. Mahmud Yakubu, Resident Electoral Commissioners (REC), Returning Officers and many other political actors whose infamous actions or inactions contravened the Electoral Act and Guidelines.

This is even as the Inspector Gener­al of Police (IGP), Usman Alkali Baba has assured of effective collaboration with INEC to “expeditiously and transparently” prosecute 781 electoral offenders apprehended from a total of 489 major electoral infractions across the nation, as all Commands were tasked with submitting case files cen­trally at the Electoral Offences Desk, Office of the IGP, Force Headquarters, Abuja, for coordinated processing to INEC Legal Section.

However, the International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law (In­tersociety) told the world last week that it found out that no fewer than 50 top Nigerian university professors who played various conspiratorial roles in rigging and voter suppression in the 25th February Presidential/National Assembly and the 18th March 2023 Governorship/State Houses of As­sembly elections have been identified.

About 50 university professors con­spiratorially or vicariously involved are 34 Vice Chancellors and a Deputy Vice-Chancellor drawn from Federal, State and Private Universities across the country. Apart from the 50 culpably or conspiratorially involved Nigerian University Professors, there are also 34 others involved; including ten Doc­torate Degree holders and another former top military, police and spy police officers and former ministers and Government Commissioners in­cluding Engineer Olufemi Odunbiyi, former Commissioner for Science and Technology in Lagos State and APC chieftain who was recently placed in charge of INEC ICT as Director.