Independent National Electoral Commission, on Saturday, dismissed claims that its staff in Kogi sttate are reconfiguring the Bimodal Voters Accreditation System devices to manipulate the November 11 governorship polls.
Earlier, the Social Democratic Party, in a statement on Saturday, alleged that some INEC staff were contracted by Governor Yahaya Bello to reconfigure and personalise the BVAS.
“These devices, conveniently stockpiled by Governor Bello, are allegedly set to be clandestinely merged with INEC’s deployment in specific regions such as Okene, Adavi, and Okehi Local Government Area of Kogi State,” SDP alleged.
The party, however, warned that any attempt to disrupt or manipulate the forthcoming election will be firmly resisted.
Reacting, INEC said in a statement that the claim is false, urging the public to disregard it.
It added that the three persons mentioned in the allegation are not associated with the configuration of the BVAS machines and not in Kogi State at the moment.
The statement read, “Mr. Nicholas Ocholi is on his duty post in our Ondo State office in Akure. Ibrahim Egbunu is attending to a very close family member hospitalised in Abuja. Mohammed Adara retired last year and is no longer a staff of the commission.
“The configuration of BVAS is done simultaneously and exclusively in our offices in Bayelsa, Imo and Kogi States professionally and strictly handled by teams deployed from the national HQ, Abuja.
“The public is advised to disregard the story as fake news. At the same time, the Commission appeals to political parties to desist from engaging in malicious rumour mongering of this nature.“