INEC denies alleged diversion of electoral materials

The Independent National Electoral Commission INECO on Saturday dismissed reports that two of its officials at Obokun local government area of Osun state were caught diverting sensitive electoral materials.

The commission said there was no truth in the report.

The All Progressives Congress (APC) had alleged that some INEC officials, in collusion with the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Osun state, were caught diverting electoral materials.

However, in a statement issued by the chief press secretary of the INEC chairman, Mr Kayode Idowu, on Saturday, INEC maintained that investigations showed that no sensitive materials were diverted, neither was any of its official caught in cahoots with political partisans.

“The electoral officer of Obokun local government had, at some point on Wednesday, discussed and agreed with all stakeholders, including political parties in his local government area, that sensitive and non-sensitive materials would be distributed together once the sensitive materials were received at the INEC local government area office,” INEC explained.

“Early on Thursday morning, all EOs in Osun State were asked to report in Oshogbo to collect sensitive materials for their respective LGAs, hence the Obokun EO and one of his officers left for the state capital to collect the materials. While they were in Oshogbo, the EO realized that mattresses needed for operating the Registration Area Centres (RACs), which ought to have been delivered at the RACs, had not been distributed. Consequently, he sent back his officer to go distribute the mattresses to all the RACs.

“The officer assigned to effect this task misinterpreted the instruction and, rather than distribute only the mattresses, began to distribute non-sensitive materials as well – contrary to the earlier agreement between the EO and political parties.

“The EO returned to the LGA office around 7pm on Thursday with sensitive materials for his jurisdiction and, on learning that the officer had overreached his instruction, became concerned about the breach of the agreement he had with the political parties and other stakeholders. He immediately ordered the retrieval of the non-sensitive materials from all RACs.

“The bid to retrieve the non-sensitive materials triggered suspicion of something untoward among the communities, some of which resisted the retrieval. A number of them alerted security agents, who promptly arrested the EO and the officer who had distributed the non-sensitive materials. The EO and his officer have since been released and they have gone on with their duties, following the Commission’s investigation and satisfactory explanation to the security agencies about the true nature of the incident.”

The commission said with “clarity” that sensitive materials were not involved in the incident.

“Actually, sensitive materials from the state INEC headquarters arrived at the LGA long after the non-sensitive materials had been distributed,” it further said.

“There is no truth to the claim that the electoral officer or any its staff members was found in a vehicle other than the commission’s vehicle distributing materials.

“That may explain why the only vehicle shown in the various social media reports on the incident was the commission’s vehicle with registration No.: FG 816 VO1.”

It reassured the public of its commitment to ensuring high integrity of the electoral process and delivery of free, fair and credible governorship election in Osun state.