Poll Shift: Why Human Rights Activists condemn Ethnic Profiling of INEC Staff

Wed, Feb 20, 2019 | By publisher


Featured, Politics

Human rights activists have decried ethnic profiling of some staff of the Independent National Electoral Commission and blaming them for being responsible for the postponement of the general elections
 
 
By Emeka Ejere
A group of human rights activists has strongly condemned the alleged attempt to tarnish the image of Prof Okechukwu Ibeanu, national commissioner of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, in charge of logistics, and some key activists of Igbo extraction, in a move suggestive of bringing stereotyping and ethnic profiling into INEC affairs.

The group described Ibeanu as a committed democrat who has devoted his life to the struggle for peace and democracy in Nigeria. The  respected professor of political science was in charge of logistics, having taken over from Amina Zakari in October 2018.

Reacting to reports linking Ibeanu and some Igbo activists to the campaign of Atiku Abubakar, presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, the group said mischief makers were out to create confusion.

Olisa Agbakoba, Clement Nwankwo, Sam Amadi, Innocent Chukwuma and Chidi Odinkalu, are some of the activists said to be targeted.

The Department of State Security, DSS, had summoned Professor Okechukwu Ibeanu and other INEC officials for interrogation, a summon which was later withdrawn.

The other officials also summoned include: Chidi Nwafor, the director of Information and Communication Technology, ICT; Ken Ukeagu, director of Procurement; Osaze Uzzi, director of Voter Education and Publicity and Bimbo Oladunjoye, the assistant director of ICT, all of whom except Uzzi and Oladunjoye, are of Igbo extraction.

The group said it is, however, not questioning the responsibility of DSS to convene and interrogate anyone suspected to be a threat to national security.

In a statement on Tuesday, February 19, the group said making Ibeanu the “fall guy” for the botched elections is wrong.

It argued that the smear campaign would harm “the difficult process of consolidation of Nigerian democracy.”

“This is a clearly orchestrated campaign to smear the names of these people, most of whom have devoted their lives to the struggle against military rule and for democracy for the past three to four decades,” the group said, adding that the “campaign is divisive and is geared to smear an ethnic group and present them as enemies of democracy and free and fair elections.”

Members of the group include: Adele Jinadu, chairman, Election Analysis Centre; Femi Falana, SAN; Ebere Onwudiwe, political economist; Jibrin Ibrahim, political scientist; Y. Z Ya’u, co-chair, Situation Room, Idayat Hassan, director, Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD); Ayo Obe, legal practioner; Hussaini Abdu, country director, Plan International; and Auwal Musa Rafsanjani, executive director, CISLAC.

They appealed to all stakeholders to desist from pursuing campaigns of calumny against any group, and to instead, focus on ensuring that the elections hold in a spirit of nation building that would allow the winners of the elections carry forward the Nigerian national project.

“Let us all work with INEC and all other authorities involved in the electoral process to re-build trust, and to ensure that there is peace and concord before, during and after the elections”, the group pleaded.

Realnews recalls that INEC on Thursday, January 3, inaugurated two ad-hoc committees – Electoral Logistics and Collation Centre- as part of its preparations for the 2019 general elections.

The Electoral Logistics Committee is chaired by Ahmed Mu’azu, a retired AVM, with its director of stores as secretary. The committee is responsible for electoral logistics.

 However, INEC Electoral Operation and Logistics Committee has Prof. Okechukwu Ibeanu as chairman, Ahmed Mu’azu; Solomon Soyebi; Mohammed Haruna; Muhammed Lecky and Amina B. Zakari as members.

“This is different from the Electoral Logistics Committee, which is directly in-charge of election logistics for the 2019 general elections”, a source conversant with INEC affairs noted.

“Reports that Prof. Okechukwu Ibeanu is the national commissioner is in-charge of the elections logistics are grossly misleading to say the least and should be branded as fake news appropriately”, the source further said.

– Feb. 20, 2019 @ 08:02 GMT |

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