INEC Contradicts Its Chairman, Denies Diaspora IDP Voting

The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has denied any intentions of voting by the Internally Displaced Persons, IDP, not resident in Nigeria, as being widely reported in the media.

Reports indicate that the INEC Chairman, Mahmud Yakubu, has stated that special arrangements have been made for the voting of internally displaced persons in Chad and Niger, with the press speculating that over seven million votes are expected to be garnered by the Diaspora IDP.Social Media reactions insisted that if that is going to happen, Government must allow diaspora voting completely, wherever they are in the world.

In reaction, the Peoples democratic Party, PDP, accused the Federal government of trying to use the method to rig the 2019 elections.

But in a statement signed by Festus Okoye, the Chairman Information and Voter Education Committee, the commission faulted the INEC chairman’s speech.saying that there was no time the commission talked about the diaspora voting. Below is the text of the release made available to this magazine.