THE Opposition, Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP) has called on President Muhammadu Buhari and the Inspector- General of Police, IGP, Usman Alkali Baba to save the credibility of next year’s Presidential and General elections by ordering the immediate release of the staff of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Chidiebere Eze.
According to CUPP, Eze has been held in illegal secret detention by Imo Department of State Services, DSS whom the group alleged was moved last night based on pressure from Imo All Progressives Congress, APC Government to the State Police Command after the opposition parties exposed the illegal detention.
In a statement yesterday by CUPP Spokesman, Ikenga Imo Ugochinyere, the Poice and the DSS should go after those who used Omuma Magic to compromise Nigeria Voters’ Register.
Ugochinyere said, “The Nigerian Opposition, Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP) has alleged that INEC staff, Chidiebere Eze.
“We are alerting the IGP, Usman Alkali Baba and President Buhari of this secret movement of INEC staff from imo dss to Imo Police command, calling on them to ensure his freedom and those behind voters register compromise arrested and the innocent INEC staff freed from over three weeks of secret illegal detention.
” The opposition is aware of alleged plan by Imo Police Command based on pressure from the State Government and wants to file trump- up charges against him to help keep him in eternal detention to cover the compromise of the Voters’ register which is a criminal offence for which the culprits are still moving about freely.
“The plot to charge Chidiebere is dead on arrival as the voters’ register is a Publicly displayed document covered by section 19 of the Electoral Act and not a secret document under section 97 of the Criminal Code.
“The list of fresh registrants that participated in the INEC continuous voters registration has been displayed by INEC for people to make claims and objections in accordance with the law.”
“It is not a secret document or official secret covered under section 97 of the Criminal Code, and the last-minute attempt to use the Police to detain the INEC staff moved from the DSS office in Imo in a bid to punish innocent INEC staff for the unknown source of leak of the compromise of the voters’ register is childish and provocative.
“The Opposition called on the Police IG not to allow the Nigerian Police dragged into APC plot to rig 2023 general election which can throw Nigeria into electoral crisis, urging the IGP to show the readiness of the Police to be truly independent and police with honour by releasing the INEC staff and block the plan to turn the police into APC detention center.”