TheCable

Nsukka Professional Association (NPA), a non-partisan organisation, has alleged a plan by a political party to hack the bimodal voter accreditation system (BVAS) and the result viewing portal (IRev) during the Saturday governorship election.

Speaking at a press briefing on Tuesday, Charles Nwodo, the association’s president, said the alleged plot is to compromise the electoral process in Enugu north senatorial zone. 

Nwodo said the party plans to transmit pre-determined fake results to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) portal by hacking through the BVAS system and IReV interface. 

He alleged that the party has hired some professional hackers to carry out the act, noting that it is also planning to “import armed thugs and cultists” into the zone to pose like security personnel. 

“We have credible reports of plans to disrupt the election in targeted Polling units and Wards through electronic disruption (hacking) of the BVAS and IReV interface by professional hackers contracted by one of the political parties for purposes of compromising the electoral process by transmitting pre-determined fake results to INEC portal,” he said. 

“Plans by some politicians to import armed thugs and cultists into the Enugu North senatorial Zone, adorn them in Nigeria Police Force (NPF) and Army uniforms, and deploy them to terrorise voters and cause widespread mayhem to pave the way for the cancelation of results across Isi-Uzo and the six local government areas of Enugu North senatorial zone.”

He appealed to the security agencies and INEC to “pay special attention to Enugu state and to ensure that the above-listed reports are thoroughly verified”.

“We implore INEC to strengthen its election administration machinery in Enugu state ahead of the March 18th governorship and state assembly elections as well as the by-election for the senatorial seat of Enugu East. The people of Enugu state, like the rest of Nigeria, deserve a free, fair, and credible election.”

Speaking about the killing of Oyibo Chukwu, Labour Party (LP) candidate for Enugu east senatorial district, ahead of the February 25 presidential and national assembly elections, Nwodo announced a donation of N1 million to the family “in humanitarian solidarity for their grief”.