INEC planning to use N-power beneficiaries to rig election, opposition parties allege

A group of opposition parties, the Coalition of United Political Parties, CUPP, has alleged plans by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to use beneficiaries of the Federal Government’s social intervention programme, N-power, to manipulate the 2019 election.

It said that while INEC had begun the recruitment of the beneficiaries as ad-hoc staff, they were being trained to rig the election in favour of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

The group’s spokesman, Ikenga Ugochinyere, in a statement on Sunday, invited President Muhammadu Buhari to call INEC to order.

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The statement reads, “The President wants to use the beneficiaries of their failed N-Power programme to technically rig the election.

‘’The INEC chairman should ensure the credibility, which he promised Nigerians by making sure that no N-Power beneficiary is recruited as ad-hoc staff in the election, because it’s clear that these so-called beneficiaries are going to be used by President Buhari and his APC cohorts to rig the elections.”

Meanwhile, INEC’s Director in charge of Voter Education, Publicity, Gender and Civil Society Liaison, Mr Oluwole Osaze-Uzi, dismissed the allegation last night saying the commission in its usual practice, was recruiting members of National Youth Service Corps, NYSC as its ad hoc staff and not N-Power beneficiaries.

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