Server, EU Report: Jitters in INEC; Commission Ponders Options

By Chidiebere Onyemaizu

Credible sources have informed this Magazine that the European Union’s final Report on the 2019 general elections which was made public last week is causing goose pimples among the top brass in the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.

Among other things, the report cast slur on the electoral umpire’s conduct of the polls and its credibility.

INEC, this magazine was told, is finding it difficult to explain away the EU report and also reconcile its disparate positions on the use of sever during the elections.

The Commission is reportedly at loss as to how to convince the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal that it conducted free, fair and credible presidential election in the face of the EU damming report as well as the contradicting positions it holds on issue of server.

Shortly after the polls, the Spokesman of the Buhari Campaign Council,Festus Keyamo (SAN) had accused the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, of hacking into INEC’s Data Server following the opposition party’s rejection of the presidential election results which returned President Muhammadu Buhari. The PDP had alleged that the results announced by INEC were fake, insisting that the correct results indicated it actually defeated the APC and Buhari, and were domiciled in the Commission’s server.

However, at the resumption of the hearing of the petition last week, INEC claimed it has no server and used non for the polls, lamenting that the PDP and its presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, were asking it to provide what it does not have

Few days later, the Commission, through its National Commissioner, Solomon Adedeji Soyebi, made a voltface by admitting INEC indeed has a server but only experimented with it during the Anambra and Osun governorship elections.

Insiders inform that the challenge before the Commission now is whether to stick to Soyebi’s narration or insist no server exists.

“Both positions are fraught with self- inflicted landmines.If the Commission agrees it only experimented with server during the Osun and Anambra elections, Atiku and the PDP would have been vindicated that INEC indeed has the technology and will insist on having access to it.However, if it insists it has no server, then Soyebi would have exposed the Commission’s lack of credibility”, an insider told this magazine.

Calling for the resignation of the INEC chairman over the EU’s report, the PDP said the report has vindicated its position that the 2019 presidential election was rigged in favour of the APC and President Buhari.

“The fresh revelation in the European Union (EU) report has further vindicated the PDP and millions of Nigerians, in our position that the February 23 Presidential election was rigged to favour President Muhammadu Buhari and the All Progressives Congress (APC)”,

“The PDP insists that those in INEC, who perpetrated such crime against our nation, in sabotaging the sanctity of our electoral processes to frustrate the choice of Nigerians in a Presidential election, must be brought to book and made to face the wrath of the law.” the party said in a statement.